Shell Shocked
by Jambammer
Summary: Sequel to 'The Fifth Turtle'. Two years after Cassi's death, a friend they met a while ago returns and if her plans succeed, the TMNT's lives will be turned upside down! I stink at summaries, it's better than it sounds [I hope...]
1. Letting Go

_**A/N: Hey everyone! This is the sequel to 'The Fifth Turtle'. I know in the last story, Cassi seemed like a Mary Sue. Celveliare may seem like one too, but I'm not really going to develop her character too much in this story. However, near the end, Cassi may not seem like one anymore! Even though she's gone, I'm going to develop her more. I hope you like this story!**_

**Chapter 1**

"_Look out!" Cassiopeia screamed in terror as she pushed Leo out of the way. He staggered, then whipped around in time to see the flower box smash on the back of her head. She seemed to fall in slow motion. Then she was on the ground, unconscious. _

"Cassi!" Leonardo yelled, sitting upright in bed, sweat running down his face. Gasping for breath, he realized he was still at home. He had the nightmare again the same one that had been haunting him for months. Cassi takes the blow for him, and then is knocked out cold with a serious head wound. Sadly, it had really happened, and it had been nearly a year since Cassi died.

After she died, the family of mutants began to crumble. Leo never spoke. Raphael argued with their sensei, Master Splinter, (a mutant rat) quite a bit. Michelangelo never joked or had wise cracks anymore. Donatello had been trying in vain to get everyone to move on.

---

"So?" Don asked his sensei as soon as the rat had returned from a trip.

"I was able to convince the Daimyo to hold the tournament a few months early."

Don grinned. He had a plan to get everything back together. "I sure hope this works," He said softly. Splinter nodded.

"As do I. Go try to find Leonardo and try to talk him into coming. I have a feeling he may not want to come." Don agreed and hurried off to find his brother.

Finding Leo was not an easy task. Often during the day, Leo liked to disappear. Sometimes he would go up to the surface, sometimes he would go to some of the places he and Cassi used to go to when she was alive. Lately, he would be somewhere in Cassi's old place. Her part was huge, so it took quite a while to find him.

Finally, Don found him in Cassi's bedroom. Leo was sitting on her bed. He was leafing through a photo album. After sighing to himself, Don came in and sat beside him. It had gotten harder every time to face Leo.

"Hey Leo." To his surprise, Leo answered.

"Hey." Leo didn't look up. He was staring at a picture of Cassi when she was a kid. She was holding two katanas. There were three other pictures on the page. She was holding Sai blades in one, nunchucks in another and a Bo staff in the last.

Leo turned the page and immediately both sets of eyes settled on the same picture. In this picture, all five of them were gathered around a birthday cake. They all looked extremely happy, especially Cassi. She had just gotten to meet the others for the first time in her life. Don sighed.

"That was a fun day. Everyone was happy and Cassi was still alive." Leo didn't answer, he was staring at Cassi. With her face lit by the candle light, she looked radiant, and full of life. It was hard to believe she was gone. "I miss her too."

There was a short silence between them. "The battle nexus is being held a little earlier this year, in a couple days in fact." Don finally said.

"I don't think I'll go."

"It'll take your mind off things for a while."

"Donny--"

"Leo, you've got to let her go."

"I know." He replied softly.

---

"Don't make me regret this." Leo whispered to Don as they walked over to the others. All four had beaten the qualifying round and were going on to the next stage. Now, however, it was an intermission.

Leo scanned the other contestants, hoping to see Usagi. Something caught his attention. One of the other contestants had a shell like he and his brothers had, yet the other three were right next to him. The owner turned and walked over to them.

She was a turtle as they were, and she looked very much like Cassi. She had big, bright eyes, but they were magenta. She wasn't wearing a mask like they were; instead, dark makeup framed her eyes. A magenta jewel was in her forehead. Dark brown hair flowed down to her shoulders and had magenta streaks. Her long magenta gown went down to her feet. She held a sai blade tightly in her hand.

She bowed to Master Splinter when she approached him.

"Master Splinter," She said in a voice that was identical to Cassi's, except she spoke with a Japanese-like accent. Cassi didn't. "How wonderful to see you again."

"My sons, this is Celveliare. Celveliare, this is Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo." He introduced them.

"A pleasure." She said smiling at them.

"You sure like magenta, huh?" Mike asked and Don elbowed him. Celveliare laughed.

"Actually, I have no choice as to what colour I wear. Where I am from, you are born with a colour. Magenta is my colour. No one else on Paerae bears magenta." She explained. At the mention of her colour, she noticed then how mournful they looked. "What is wrong? You all seem so broken hearted." She eyed them closer. "Especially you, Leonardo, is it?"

Leo nodded as she placed a hand on his forehead. The jewel in her forehead began to glow brightly.

"Are you--?" Was Celveliare reading his mind? She nodded.

"You have lost a loved one." She said as her jewel stopped glowing. She placed her hand on his shoulder. "Leonardo, remember this; Cassiopeia may not be with us, but she is not truly dead until she is forgotten. She will remain forever in your heart, and in your mind in memories." Tears began to roll down her face. "She will remain in mine as well. She was as dear to me as a sister. I did not know…" Celveliare trailed off.

The sai blade in her hand began to change. In a few moments it had changed completely to a handkerchief. She used it to wipe her eyes. As she did, none of the makeup came off. When she noticed the strange looks on the four boy's faces, she explained.

"Yes, you might call this magic. I can change it to any item I wish. I will see you all later, and I wish you luck in the competition." Celveliare said as she turned and walked away.

---

When the next round began, Raph found himself matched up against Celveliare. At first he was a little surprised, but that soon changed. _I've beaten opponents tougher than this, _He thought confidently. _This match will be over quickly._

"We meet again," Celveliare paused, trying to remember, "Raphael."

The starting bell rang. Raph was right. The match was over quickly, for him. Before he could react, Celveliare kicked him hard, sending him flying into the wall. She hurled her sai after him. The moment he hit the wall, the sai was there too. He disappeared before it hit him. Raph was eliminated.

Raph reappeared in the room that overlooked the arena. Walking to the edge, he could see Celveliare. She was grinning wildly and waving to the crowd. He groaned.

"She beat me!" One of the other contestants appeared in the room and heard Raph.

"You were up against Celveliare?" Raph nodded in response. "No offence bud, but you never had a chance."

"What do ya mean by that?" Raph snapped back.

"She was able to beat me nine Earth years ago. She is the best." The contestant grinned, obviously enjoying Raph's reaction.

"How old is she?" Raph asked, more than a little surprised.

"Why don't you ask her?" The contestant pointed behind Raph. Sure enough, Celveliare was standing behind him.

"Hello Raphael." She said, smiling warmly at him. "I apologize if I did not give you enough time to prepare."

"Oh…uh, that's okay." He stammered. Something about her, it made him feel somewhat strange. "Shouldn't ya be down there for the next round?"

She shook her head. "Most are still fighting. I have time before I must return."

"So, uh, can I take you for a drink?"

"Very well, if you let me pay." She said with a sly smile.

---

"How old are you?" Raph finally blurted out. The two of them were sitting at a table outside a small café. This question had been bothering him for the whole time they were there. The jewel on Celveliare's forehead stopped glowing.

"It took you enough time to ask." She said with a laugh. "Where I am from, I would say I am nearly thirty-six star cycles. On earth you would say I am nearly eighteen."

"What does that jewel in ya forehead do?" He asked, feeling relieved.

"It will glow whenever I am reading a mind. I was born with it, but I have never liked it much."

"I think it's neat."

"Thank-you Raphael. You are very sweet."

"Are we interrupting something?" Mike asked walking over to them. Raph was about to answer yes, but Celveliare shook her head and Mike and Don joined them.

"Are there not four of you?" She asked after a while.

"Leo's gone off by himself. I think you remind him of Cassi, Celveliare." Don replied. Truthfully, she reminded all of them of Cassi.

Celveliare nodded sadly. "Yes, I believe I do. Do not push him."

"What do you mean?" Mike asked.

"Leonardo has been badly wounded. Wounds need time to heal. He will heal, but it will take time, and healing is a painful process." They all finished their drinks in silence. A call came for all those in the next round to proceed to the arena.

---

Before anyone knew it, the finals arrived. Celveliare eliminated Mike earlier. Don was also eliminated the same round. All the boys were greatly impressed by how well she could fight, except for Leo. He hadn't seen her in action yet. He would soon; he was competing against her for the title of Battle Nexus Champion.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our two final contestants are Leonardo of dimension third earth and Celveliare of dimension 26th Paerae." The Daimyo announced. The audience roared with cheers and applause. There were chants of Celveliare's name coming from different parts of the crowd.

"I seem to have acquired a fan club or two." She blushed.

"Or a dozen." Leo corrected her, looking around at the crowds.

The bell rang. Celveliare leapt into the air. She tried to attack Leo, but he blocked it. Quickly, so fast it could barely be seen, Celveliare changed her blade to a katana. Leo was able to block every attack she made.

Up in the crowds, Raph, Don and Mike were shocked.

"What is going on down there? She was able to beat us so easy!" Raph complained. Don just shook his head. Splinter was smiling as if he knew something they didn't, which he did.

Celveliare gripped her weapon tightly. A frightened expression washed over her face as she glanced down at her katana. She shook it slightly and it changed to a rope. From the way she was acting, the three turtles in the stands guessed her weapon was malfunctioning. Celveliare managed to avoid Leo for a while. They could see her mouthing the words, 'change! Change!', before Leo was able to knock her to the ground.

"Alright!" Mike cheered.

"Go Leo!" Don called.

"Do not cheer yet." Master Splinter said with a sly smile. "It is not over."

"What do you mean, Sensei? Leo is about to end it and--" Raph stopped. Celveliare had sat up and cracked the rope so that it wrapped around Leo's leg. She pulled it and he toppled. Moving in a blur, she changed the rope to a trident and lunged at Leo. Leo disappeared the moment before she would have stabbed him. Everything had happened in only a matter of seconds. The crowd roared once more.

"She was playing possum." Leo told himself as he looked down at her from the room above the arena. The others were thinking the same thing.

"I give you the Battle Nexus Champion, Celveliare from dimension 26th Paerae!" The Daimyo declared placing the victory wreath on her head. She was grinning madly when she accepted her trophy. All her fans gave a deafening cheer.

---

"Raphael! Raphael, wait!" Raph turned around to see Celveliare running after him. He was just walking around the city one last time before he and the others had to leave.

"Yo Celveliare!" His heart leapt. For some reason, she had been hoping to see her again before he left.

"What are you doing walking around by yourself?"

"I jus' wanted to have a look around."

"May I join you?" She asked. Raph nodded and she took his arm.

"You said that you and Cassi had been coming here for a while, earlier when we were talking." Raph said and Celveliare nodded. "How come we never saw either of you the last time we were here?"

Celveliare thought back. "I believe that was the year Cassiopeia and I were going to sign up as a team. Unfortunately, Cassiopeia took ill and was unable to compete. Neither of us competed, we stayed in the crowds and watched instead."

"You two were pretty close, huh?" He asked, noticing the sadness in her voice.

"Yes, Cassiopeia and I were."

Raph decide to change the subject. "You really had everyone fooled with your performance. Everyone but Splinter that is."

She smiled. "Your sensei knows me far too well. He is the only opponent I have never been able to beat."

The jewel in her forehead began to glow more brightly than Raph had seen it. A beam of light shot out from it. The light unfolded into a projection of a screen. To Raph, it looked like just a blue screen, but Celveliare's eyes appeared to be focusing on something.

"Princess Celveliare! Your father wants you home immediately!" A voice said. Raph froze. _Princess? _

"So soon?" She sighed. "Alright I will be home as soon as I bid farewell to my friends."

"Please hurry your highness."

"I will be home on Paerae as soon as I can." The screen faded away and the jewel stopped glowing. She turned back to Raph. He was still in shock.

"Princess?" He said finally.

"Yes, I am of royal blood. I am sorry I did not tell you, Raphael, but I did not want you to treat me differently." Celveliare paused and sighed. "This is why I don't like my jewel much." She muttered. "I suppose I had better be going. Please say good-bye to Master Splinter and the others for me. Good bye and thank-you for the lovely time Raphael." She turned and disappeared before his eyes.

"Good bye, Celveliare." He whispered.

---

Later, after they had returned to Earth, things went back to normal, normal as in Leo keeping to himself and not talking. Mike still couldn't make jokes but he smiled a lot more. The only thing that really changed was that Raph didn't argue with Splinter anymore. Raph's mind was elsewhere.

Raph had fallen completely for the warrior princess. She was almost always on his mind. Although he didn't know her very long, he felt as if he did. _Now I know how Leo felt about Cassi. Jeez, why did we go and screw that up for him? I'm surprised he didn't kill us for it. I may not have liked her, but he sure did._

_All this time, I've hated Cassi. She completely changed our lives. Maybe it wasn't her I hated, but the change itself. Nah, she was a worm, lying to us all the time. Well, she had to be better than that somewhere inside 'er. After all, Leo fell for her. Nah, Leo's got bad taste in women. He was the sucker who fell for Karai._

Don was thinking about Celveliare too, but for another reason. He was thinking about something she had said. _"Do not push him. Leonardo has been badly wounded. Wounds need time to heal."_ That was exactly what he had been doing, pushing Leo to heal. He figured he owed Leo an apology.

When he found Leo, Leo was once again in Cassi's room. This time he was reading Cassi's journal.

"I'm sorry, Leo."

Leo looked up. "For what?"

"For pressuring you to move on. I realize now that you just need time."

"Thanks Donny. That's all I ever really needed."

"Can I… ask you something?" Don said hesitantly, remembering something that had been bothering him.

"Sure."

"I heard you talking in your sleep a while ago. You were saying something about letting Cassi down. What did you mean?"

Leo didn't answer right away. He flipped through Cassi's journal until he got to the page he wanted. He handed the hard cover notebook to his brother. Don read:

Visions:

Transform to human

Dead at 16

Child stolen

"I don't understand. What does this mean, Leo?"

"Do you remember the night Mike screamed and Cassi picked his mind?" When Don nodded, Leo continued. "There was more to the dream than Cassi told you. He had three visions, about her; Cassi turning to human, Cassi dieing at age 16, and the foot stealing her child. When she told me about them I…" Leo's voice broke as he remembered the promise he didn't keep. "I promised I wouldn't let them happen." His eyes stung as he tried to fight back his tears.

"I'm sorry Leo. I shouldn't have said anything."

"It's okay, Donny. I just need to be alone right now." Don nodded, and got up to leave. He stopped at the doorway and turned to see Leo putting a line through a vision in Cassi's journal. Don shook his head. His brother was healing, but it was going to take time. _I just want life to go back to the way it was before. _

Leo closed the journal and set it down on Cassi's night table. He walked over to the other side of her home and went into the recording studio. In one corner of the room, there was a small booth. Various instruments occupied the rest of the space, as did a couple couches. Leo picked a guitar off the rack and sat down on one of the couches along the wall.

The seventeen year old had been teaching himself to play guitar ever since the day that Cassi died. It sometimes helped eased the pain, just a bit. He could really only play one song; the song Cassi sang on their last date. Sometimes, he thought he could almost hear her sweet voice singing along.

The melody just seemed to float around him. Whenever he heard that song, a strange feeling of peace washed over him. It was almost as if she wasn't gone. Almost.

Unknown to Leo, he was being watched. A teenage girl had slipped inconspicuously into the room. Leo was turned away from her so even when he topped playing, he didn't know she was there. Leo did know who she was however; he had no idea that he'd see her again anytime soon. The girl brushed her long brown hair out of her bright eyes.

"I miss you so much." Leo murmured to himself.

"I have missed you too. I did not know you play guitar Leonardo. You play very well."

"What are you doing here Celveliare?" Leo asked, nearly jumping off of the couch. He was still in shock from hearing someone answer him.

"Turn around Leo, I'm not Celveliare."


	2. Moving On

**Chapter 2**

"Cassi!" Leo shouted in joy as he ran over to her. "But, how?" Leo asked in disbelief after hugging her.

"I'll explain later." She grinned. "By the way, nice performance."

"Performance?" he asked.

"Well, you know, pretending you thought I was dead." She studied his expression. "You didn't know I was alive?" She asked slowly as it dawned on her.

"No!"

"But, I left you that message." Leo looked like Cassi was speaking another language. "Can I see my necklace?" He handed it to her, and she read the message aloud.

"Until next we meet, it won't be long. I'll always be with you. I'm not really gone," Cassi chuckled a bit, but her heart wasn't in it. "I guess I was a little cryptic."

"I'll say you were. Why'd you wait so long to come back? Why did you leave at all?"

Cassi looked away. "You have perfect right to be mad at me, and I don't blame you if you are. The truth is, I wasn't going to come back until we were about nineteen. Then, about a month ago, I started having nightmares about that night…the accident. It was about then I realized how much I missed you. Today I decided to come and see you. I wish I could tell you why I left right now, but I can't." Hot tears welled up in her eyes and one rolled down her face.

"Hey, don't cry, Cassi. I've missed you too." Leo replied, gently wiping her eyes.

"Aren't you mad? I've basically lied for an entire year and I tore you apart!" she protested. "You should be upset with me."

"I'm not."

"Really? Honestly, Leo? I can find out if you're lying."

"Honestly Cassi. I'm just glad you're okay. Do you want me to get a crystal for your necklace?"

She shook her head sadly. "No. I'm going to stay a human as I originally planned. They can't know I'm alive yet, Leo." He knew that she meant his brothers. Keeping a small, fake smile plastered on, Leo nodded. "I have something I'm working on. Don't worry, it involves the four of you. If I succeed, our lives will be changed so much, but that should be for the better."

"You're being cryptic again." Leo said smiling, trying to hide how he felt inside. In other words, Cassi was basically telling him that she'd be gone another year.

"I know, I can't help it." She said smiling too. "Remember, I'm dead." She told him, sounding more serious. When he nodded, she turned to go. "Bye Leo." She whispered, and then left. After glancing around, she leapt down to the main floor. Quietly, she pulled open her old secret access to the sewers and ran out. The door closed automatically behind her.

Cassi couldn't help but stop and stare at the tunnel. It was the tunnel that she had built for surfing. There was an access to the surface from it, but she had to stop for a moment. This tunnel brought back many old memories, like on their sixteenth birthday, when she took Mikey surfing here. Cassi would give anything for things to be as they were, but they would never be the same again. _One more year, Cassiopeia, one more year and we can be together again. I just hope they'll forgive me. _

----

Cassi turned the corner heading towards her dorm at the university, which she shared with her friend Christina. She saw someone knocking at their door. When she realized who it was, Cassi turned and headed another direction, away from there. Her pace quickened to a run and she left the building.

Quickly, she made her way to a small bench just outside the building. Luckily, there was a newspaper sitting on top. The headline screamed, "Where has 'Sweet Pea' gone?" If she hadn't have been so worried about been seen, Cassi would have probably laughed. Instead, her mind was busy with other things. What was April doing there? April thought she was dead, didn't she?

---

April took a deep breath in. It had been a year, just as Cassi had wanted. The redhead hesitated a moment, then knocked on the door before she could stop herself. A tall blond haired girl answered the door. She looked about 18, maybe 19.

"Are you Christina?" April asked, and the girl nodded. "I'm April, Cassi's…aunt."

"Oh, hi! Come in." She smiled opening the door more.

April shook her head. "I can't stay, I just came to bring you some bad news, I'm afraid. Cassi…" April's voice broke slightly, but she continued, "Cassi died on a trip she took to Europe." She was expecting a horrified expression or an upset expression. Instead, Christina looked like April was insane.

"What kind of sick joke is this? Cassi hasn't been to Europe recently!" She shut the door, but as she did, April heard the girl mutter, "Crazy fan girls." April couldn't believe what she had just heard. Maybe that was the wrong Christina. No, she knew April as Cassi's aunt, so it had to be the right girl. She walked out of the building to her car. Thoughts were swimming around in her head, and she couldn't help wondering, _could Cassi be alive?_

Cassi looked up from the paper she was pretending to read as April walked by her. Hopefully, April hadn't seen her. The red head walked by without stopping or without showing any signs of recognizing her, so Cassi assumed she hadn't. She folded the paper and headed back to the dorm.

"The fan girls are getting worse all the time!" Christy told her friend when Cassi got in.

"How so?" Cassi asked, trying to look clueless, which in a way she was.

"One was just here. Somehow, she found out your real name along with your aunts name. She claimed you had died!" _So that's why April was here, _Cassi thought.

"Probably someone from high school. If they had a yearbook, they might've recognized my photo." Cassi suggested.

Christy took her purse of her desk. "Oh well, I just hope the press doesn't find out. See you later, Cassi."

Cassi said good-bye to her friend and then looked around. Finally, she had the place to herself. She went into her dresser and pulled out the CD that she had recorded her voice on to. The song she used was the one she had sung on her last date with Leo. After kissing it for good luck, she slid it into an envelope and wrote a short letter. Cassi quickly addressed the envelope and stuck a stamp on.

Cassi grabbed her car keys off her tiny, wooden desk and headed out. After double-checking that her door was securely locked, she hurried down the hall. Just outside the dormitory building was a mailbox, and Cassi dropped her letter in as she went by. Now all she could do was wait, and hope.

----

"It's official, we're adults." Mike stated. Somehow, he thought he would be more excited.

"It's also been a year since we killed Cassi." Raph pointed out.

"Raph please." Don put a hand on his brother's shoulder and looked him in the eye. "Not today, for Leo's sake." Raph just shrugged as he pulled away. Recently, he had been a bit more moody. Desperately, Raph wanted to return to the Battle Nexus and to see if the Daimyo could help him see Celveliare.

"Do you think he'll even leave his room?" Mikey asked, flopping down on the couch.

"Happy birthday guys!" Leo exclaimed.

"Leo? But, you're smiling!" Mike was shocked.

Leo grinned. "It's our birthday. Is there a reason I shouldn't be?"

"But, you're talking!" Mikey still couldn't believe it. None of them could believe it.

"Cassi is gone, and we can't bring her back. I guess I finally realized that." He explained. The others looked from one to another.

"Who are you and where is Leonardo?" Don teased, but they were all glad Leo was back to his old self.

**A/N: Hey everyone! I tried to have this up yesterday but for some reason it wouldn't upload. Oh well, it works now! If you read this, please review! It would mean so much to me. **


	3. Plans

The next year passed by in a blur, but for some reason the day was dragging on for Cassi. She and the boys were nineteen today, and she was moving into an apartment of her own. Although she wasn't being much help, Chris was helping her pack. Cassi had finished her courses at the university, but Chris had two years left and the thought of a new roommate wasn't pleasant for her.

"Hey Cassi, you got a letter." Christy said as she handed Cassi an envelope addressed to her. After reading the return address, she felt her hands tingling with excitement as she tore it open. She pulled out the letter and began to read.

_Dear Miss Cassidy O'Neil,_

_I recently had the pleasure of seeing you perform at a local restaurant. A few associates of mine and myself loved your voice. If you are interested, we would like to sign you to a recording deal with our record label._

_Onstage you mentioned a band that wasn't able to join you. We would like to request a performance by them and you. If you could please contact me when you have the chance, my number is below_.

"So, what does it say?" Christy asked curiously.

"It's only junk mail." Cassi replied and returned to her packing. She scrunched up the letter and stuck it in her pocket. Her friend gave her a suspicious look, but Cassi pretended not to notice and continued with her packing.

---

Later on, once she had taken all her things to her apartment, Cassi couldn't climb down a manhole fast enough. The potent smell that hit her nose only bothered her a little; Her mind was elsewhere. This was the day she would finally get to see the boys, her closest friends and 'family', again! Her spirits soared as she ran through the murky tunnels. Cassi finally reached the opening and she dialled the access code and watched the doors open. After too long, she was finally home again.

Cassi looked around the quiet home. It was empty. Looking around more, she discovered that the boys weren't in their rooms. She headed into her old part and gazed at her surroundings. It was empty too, or so it seemed. As she walked by her music studio, she could hear the faint sound of music. Cassi turned the doorknob slowly so it wouldn't make any noise, opened the door and slipped in.

The four boys were playing instruments. Leo was playing bass, Raph was playing guitar, Mike was playing drums and Don was playing keyboard. No one had noticed Cassi. _They sound fantastic,_ Cassi thought to herself. _This might just work out. _When they had finished, they were all startled to hear someone applauding them.

"You guys are great!" Cassi said walking over to them. Mike screamed.

"I-it's C-C-Cassi's g-ghost!" he stuttered.

"Calm down Mikey! I'm no ghost, I'm alive!" She said laughing.

"But how?" Don asked.

"Simply, I faked my death." She grinned mischievously. "It was a lot easier than you guys may think."

"Ya little worm! Do ya really think ya can just march back in here and back into our lives after being 'dead' for two years?" Raph snapped at her.

"Raphael!"

"Oh knock it off, Leo, it's true!"

"Stop it, Raph."

"She broke yer heart and ruined our lives! Did ya forget about that little detail?"

"No," Leo replied, giving Raph a cold stare, "I remember, but I decided to let it go. I've already forgiven her for it."

"You've _forgiven _her? Did she put one'f her little mind spells on ya or somethin'?"

"No, Raph, I didn't," Cassi replied calmly, "he forgave me. It surprised me as well. Honestly, I don't deserve for any of you to forgive me, as much as I want you too."

"I'll never forgive ya for that." Raph spat.

"I understand, Raph. I just wish you'd stop hating me." Cassi said quietly. "You don't need to like me, just don't hate me and wish I had really died." Before anyone could say anything else on this subject, Cassi brightened into a smile. "Leo, do you have my necklace? I really, really want to be a turtle again!"

Leo gave Raph a look of hurt -which just made Raph snort and look away. In his opinion, Leo was way too protective of the brat - and then tossed her the necklace. There was a crystal in the glass chamber now. She caught it and fastened it around her neck. Instantly, her hair turned back into her bandanna and she returned to her 'normal' turtle self. The letter she had in her pocket dropped to the floor. She bent down to pick it up, but Mike beat her to it. All four read it.

"You're getting a recording contract?" Leo asked in disbelief.

"This happens on TV all the time! She'll become a super star and forget all about her family and friends!"

"No, Mike, listen. I -" Cassi tried to explain, but Raph cut her off.

"So where's this band of yours?"

"I'm looking at them!" Cassi beamed. "I've gotten everything worked out. You guys in?" The boys were stunned. For a few moments, no one spoke. Finally, Don broke the silence.

"Cassi, we're not able to change to a human like you can! There's no way we could do a recording, let alone performances!" He pointed out, wondering if Cassi had flipped.

"No, Don, I'm not insane. Like I said, I have everything worked out." She walked over to a bookshelf in the room. From behind it, she pulled out a poster, than held it up for the four to read.

"Shell Shock?" Mikey asked, reading the poster.

"I get it! If we do performances, we go as we are. The audience will think we're in costume." Leo looked at Cassi to see if he was right.

"Exactly!" She nodded, and then peeled a plastic bag off the back of the poster. In the bag were four green circles. Engraved on each was the initial of one of the boys. Cassi set the poster down, and took one of the circles out. "This," She began to explain, "is my latest invention. It's a holograph projector, and it'll make you guys look human." She tossed the one in her hand to Don. "Stick the flat side on your arm, and push down on the red switch." She instructed.

"Hey! It attached itself to my arm!" he yelped after he had hit the switch.

Cassi nodded. "If you press that switch again, it'll come off, but don't yet. This time, press the blue switch."

Don pressed the blue switch. The whole circle glowed brightly. It glowed so bright that everyone had to shield their eyes. When the light had turned off, they looked up. Cassi grinned, and the other three gasped. Don just stared down at his hands.

"Dude," Mike couldn't believe his eyes, "your hair is purple!" So it was. Don looked like an average nineteen year old from Japanese decent, except he was 5'6, and, as Mike had said, jet-black hair with purple coloured spikes. Cassi had programmed in a simple outfit; a purple t-shirt and jeans. He looked over his shoulder.

"My shell is gone!" he half shouted, half asked. Cassi laughed.

"Actually, it's still there. The projector unstablizes it, so if someone were to bump into you, they wouldn't feel it. Your clothing would also feel real if someone were to brush up against you." Cassi said while handing the others theirs.

"This is amazing!" Don marvelled as he shut it down.

"So will you do it?" Cassi asked hopefully.

"You're a nut, Cassi." Raph told her.

"We're in!" Mike said enthusiastically.


	4. Reuniting

**A/N: Thanks to all those who have reviewed :) A special thanks to Katielgk who suggested Cassi meeting with Splinter. You rock, Katie! **

After Cassi had said farewell to the four boys, she left the recording studio. The brothers had wanted to practice more, so she left them with a few songs she had written and her necklace with Leo. Now, she wanted to return to her apartment to finish setting up her things.

"It is about time, Cassiopeia," A voice from behind her caused her to stop.

"Hello Master Splinter," Cassi replied curtly, not turning around, "how did you know?"

"I have my ways, daughter."

"'Sweet Pea', right?"

"Yes." At this Cassi let out a short, angry sigh. _Why did that contest have to be televised?_

"You didn't come after me," Cassi said shortly.

"You did not want to be found. Cassiopeia, how long must we fight?" He asked with a more gentle tone. Cassi turned her head to look at him. This was the first time they'd spoken in over two years, but she still hadn't completely forgiven her 'father'. Looking into his eyes, she could tell that he was tired and just wanted peace. She, however, wasn't ready for that yet.

"I don't know Sensei, I don't know." She replied, turning back away. "Good day."

"It will not be a good day until we have reconciled." He told her as she walked away. Cassi pretended not to hear, but his words began to nip at her conscience.

---

"I think that went well." Cassi said cheerfully as the five left the BAM Record Label's building. They had given a performance, and, just as Cassi had hoped, were signed. Mike shuddered.

"I never knew how much work would be involved!" He groaned as he opened the car door and got in the back. Raph and Don got in the other side. The former couple, Cassi and Leo, sat in the front.

"We're recording in your studio later today, right?" Leo asked her as he put on his seatbelt.

"Right. Well, we're practising anyways." She replied, starting the car. Everyone was silent for most of the ride home.

Finally, Don broke the silence, "You never told us how you escaped. How did you?"

"I had a small, but powerful laser with me. Once I was sure I was far enough out into the lake, I turned to a human. I moved around enough to cut a circle with the laser, and then slid into the lake. I swam to the other side, where a friend was waiting for me." Once he heard the last part, Leo looked at Cassi in shock.

"That was you I saw?" he asked in disbelief. There was no verbal answer, but the sly smile resting on her face did and quite loudly. Leo shook his head and stared out the window. The three in the back seat were silent; there seemed to be a new tension between Cassi and Leo.

"Why Cassi?" Raph demanded after a few minutes.

Cassi thought for a moment. "I don't know, Raph," She replied at last. "I think I did it mainly because I needed time to myself, and space."

Before they could ask any more questions, Cassi changed the subject, "I'm just going to drop you guys off right now. I'll be back a little later. I still have some unpacking to do at my apartment." She said as they pulled up at the home. The boys said good bye and got out. As she drove away, Raph shook his head.

"She's pushin' us out'f 'er life." He said, watching her drive away.

"No," Leo disagreed, "She's trying to work us back in."

"She has a car _and _an apartment?" Mike said in disbelief, "When did Cassi win the lottery?"

---

It was hard for Cassi to contain her excitement as she pulled up in front of April's antique store. She couldn't wait to see the look on her old friend's face. Cassi walked up to the store and gently pushed the door opened. The bells above the door still chimed, and April looked up from a book she was reading.

"Cassi?"

"Hi Aunt April," Cassi grinned. April ran over to her friend and hugged her.

"So your roommate wasn't crazy after all!"

"No, but she thinks you are." Cassi laughed.

"It's defenitly you." April said, smiling. "How did you manage to set up your death?"

As she recalled that week, Cassi's hand flew to the back of her head. "I didn't set anything up. Everything was really an accident, and it was real until just after I woke up."

April seemed surprised. "Even the coma? So you could've really…"

Cassi nodded, "Unfortunately, yes, I nearly did die. While I was in a coma, I planned out how I was going to 'die', if I woke up."

"I don't know why you did it, but I know you well enough to know that you're not going to tell me.

"You know me too well."

"It's good to have you back, Cassi."

"It's good to be back. By the way, did I mention that the boys and I might possibly become famous?" April's response was a groan.


	5. From A Dream To A Scheme

"Okay guys, that's good for today." Cassi said after noticing how tired they looked.

"Good!" Mike exclaimed. "My hands are starting to hurt from playing the same thing over and over."

"Better get used to it, Mikey," Don grinned, "We've got years of this ahead of us."

Cassi looked at her watch, "Yeah, I hope so, but right now time's calling me to a visit with Chris in half an hour. You guys go have some fun. I'll stay here and finish saving the sound clips we did get recorded." She said with an insisting tone.

By this time, all four knew better than to argue with her, so Leo and Don - Raph just left without a word - said goodbye to her and headed out of the studio. Mike hesitated a moment, then stopped by Cassi to talk to her.

He watched her type in the song titles for a moment, and then cleared his throat. "So, you're not our sister, right?"

"Right," She replied, but Cassi already knew what he was going to say.

"Are you and Leo...?"

"We're not going steady, if that's what you mean." She told him, not looking up at him to see Mike nodding. The orange masked turtle didn't notice the tiny traces of hurt in Cassi's voice. _We haven't even gone out once since I've been back._

"I was wondering if you wanted to go…I mean, you don't have to…" He trailed off, trying to find the words.

A pleasant smirk crossed her face, as an idea crossed her mind, "Sure, Mikey, I'd love to go surfing with you later tonight." She answered his unspoken question. _What Mike doesn't know won't hurt him, but I hope Leo finds out about this. I want him to be jealous. Maybe it'll convince him to finally do what I want him to. Who knows? This evening may even be fun! _

"You would? I mean, uh, is it a date?" Mike asked hopefully.

Cassi grinned, "If you want." Outside the room, Leo couldn't believe what he had just heard.

---

"Do you think we'll become famous?" Cassi asked as the two walked to where they kept the surfboards.

"With your voice, defenitly!" His reply made Cassi blush.

Once they had their boards, Cassi switched on the machine that formed the waves. They had to wait a few minutes for the waves to get big enough. Setting her black surfboard down gently, Cassi sat down on the ledge of the wall and dipped her feet in the water.

"You're much more serious than I remember, Mike."

Mikey shrugged and sat down beside her. "I guess the years you were 'dead' really changed all of us. Everyone was so down, it seemed impossible to smile. The way it felt, it would've almost been wrong to smile.

"When Leo perked up, we all did. Things went back to normal, normal as in before we met you, but we couldn't call that normal anymore. There was still something missing. You were missing."

"I'm back now, to stay." She eyed the wave size and grabbed her board. "You watch too many soap operas, you know that?"

"Me? You had a sappy reply too!" Mike grinned. "I'm back now, to stay." He mimicked, using a gushy tone.

In a few minutes, the two were riding the fake waves up and down the tunnels Cassi had designed. Cassi lead the way in front and Mike followed close behind her. Her spirits soared. It had been way too long.

_I can still hang ten, er, four, _She thought happily. _I'm still pretty good._ Her thoughts came too soon. Cassi lost her balance and fell backwards. Although he was laughing, Mike managed to catch her just in time. Her board floated away and out of her reach. Mike moved back and helped Cassi get her balance on his board.

"Didn't I do this to you last time?" He asked. Cassi laughed.

"Yes, you did," Cassi grinned as she recalled their sixteenth birthday, "Except you were able to get back on your board." She pointed out as her board drifted further away. _I hope Mikey has a good sense of balance, better than mine at least_ she thought to herself about thirty seconds before they both ended up taking an unexpected swim.

They both surfaced about the same time. Seeing Cass coughing and sputtering, Mike grinned.

"Good thing it's only filtered river water, huh?" He asked. Shooting him an annoyed look, Cassi splashed him and swam over to the ledge. Mikey beat her there. He grabbed her shell and dunked her under.

"You are so dead, Michelangelo!" She threatened playfully when she surfaced again.

---

A short while later, after putting away the boards, Cassi and Mike headed back to the turtle's home. Cassi had to leave her necklace with Leo before she went back to her apartment. After wringing out her bandanna tails, she smiled at Mikey.

"You know Mike, for a first date that was pretty fun. I had a good time."

"You did? I mean, yeah, uh, of course." He corrected himself. "I did too."

When they got back to the home, Cassi said good night to Mikey and headed up to her old part. The recording studio was her destination. Gently, she picked up a guitar, sat down on a maroon couch and began to play softly. Leo opened the door and quietly came in.

"Shouldn't you be getting home?" He asked, pretending to look at the clock.

"Spit it out Leo, what's wrong?" She asked him, looking him in the eye. Cassi already knew, but she also knew how much the boys hated her reading their minds.

"I think you already know."

He knew her too well. "You're right, I do." She put the guitar down, and held up her three fingers, "Three things. First, I'm not their sister. Second, you and I aren't going steady," Secretly, she hoped her tone was enough of a hint, "so there's no reason why I can't date them too. Third, remember what happened last time one of us let jealousy get the better of us?" After saying this, she looked down at her necklace and grinned.

"I remember." Leo couldn't help grinning too. "I don't know, I guess I'm just worried I'm going to lose you again."

"Isn't it a little early for that?" She asked, and he shrugged. _Leo you moron, do something about it! If you're scared of losing me so badly, make sure you don't! Ask me steady!_

When he didn't answer, Cassi sighed, "I've got something to show you. It may make you feel better." _It won't help me, though_ Cassi lead him down to another room in her old home. Sitting in the room was Splinter's Battle Nexus things, and a rose encased in a glass dome. Cassi walked over to the rose and looked at it fondly. "This is it. This is my most prized possession."

Leo was confused. "A rose?" she nodded. "You've got a whole green house filled with roses. I should know, looked after them while you were gone. What makes this one so special, Cassi? After all, it's…dead."

"I didn't grow this one. Someone special gave this rose to me. You gave it to me."

At first, Leo looked stunned. Then, it began to dawn on him. "You mean, this is the rose from…" he didn't need to finish. The answer was clear from the look in her eyes.

"I couldn't bring myself to part with it." Cassi's voice sounded distant. She turned back to Leo. "Feel better?"

He smiled. "Yeah, I do." _Then show it _she still held a fake smile, but she was dying inside. How long would it take him to get the hint?

**A/N: Heylo all :D If you read this chapter, please review! Also, if you could, in your review, please answer this question. Is Cassi a Mary Sue? This has become somewhat of an obsession of mine. I'm trying to change her, but I don't know how well I've succeeded.** **Opinions wanted, please!**


	6. First Success and Secrets

Their music career didn't take off until just over two months later, shortly after they had released their first single. Master Splinter was busy training the boys when Cassi came rushing in. Dark brown bangs flew over top but couldn't hide the excitement shining in her blue eyes. Her anger towards Splinter was not forgotten but Cassi chose not to show it.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Sensei, but I have some good news for the boys!" Her bright eyes were shining brighter than usual.

Earlier, Leo had a feeling that they would be seeing Cassi shortly so he had decided to wear her necklace in case she came while they were training. After unhooking the delicate golden chain from around his neck, Leo tossed it to her.

"Well, what is it?" Don asked, growing somewhat impatient as she fastened her necklace around her neck.

"Our début song, 'New Day' is number one on the charts! It's in the top five in Canada too! It's been named the fastest climbing song in like a decade, if not more!" Cassi was beyond excited. By now, she was ecstatic.

"Are you serious?" Mike asked. Cassi nodded breathlessly.

"Do not forget that this is only one successful song. You still have a way to go before you reach your goal." Splinter reminded them. He smiled as he continued. "I have no doubt you will make it to the top. Let us resume training in the meantime." He and the four boys were still balancing on bamboo poles. Splinter hoped down, and he told Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo to do the same. The Sensei told Cassi to get on one of the poles. "I believe you are familiar with this, Cassiopeia."

"Whoa!" She gasped as the pole wobbled beneath her. "I used to be." She replied as she fought to keep her balance. Splinter wanted her to fight Leo while moving from pole to pole without losing their balance. The Sensei handed her two katanas so it would be a fair fight.

"Leo, don't go easy on me," Cassi told him, and he agreed. _Poor Cassi, _the others thought. _She doesn't stand a chance._

Splinter clapped and the lights went out. This was their signal to begin. No one could see, but they could hear the battle. There was a faint swishing sound of someone moving around, but it didn't last long. Shortly after it stared, there came the sound of someone falling and a shell hitting the ground. Everyone was expecting it and were surprised to hear it later than they thought. The rat clapped and the lights came back on. Leo was on the floor and Cassi was still perched on the bamboo!

"Ah!" She gave a small cry as she almost lost her balance. Raph turned to Mikey.

"I think Leo lost on purpose. I mean, look at her! There's no way she could've beaten 'im in a _fair _fight." Raph whispered fiercely. As much as Mike hated to admit it, his brother was right.

"Michelangelo!" Splinter called. It was Mikey's turn to verse Cassi, and she was already holding two nunchucks. Her balance wasn't any better; it seemed to be growing worse. _This will be a piece of cake, _he thought confidently as he hopped up.

Splinter clapped and the lights went out. This time there was the sound of twirling nunchucks. The sound of a pole creaking and Cassi gasping made the others guess that she was losing her balance again. Sure enough, a pole toppled and all heard the thud of a shell hitting the ground. When the lights came back on, Cassi was on the bamboo and Mike was on the ground.

While Raph and Don looked stunned, Master Splinter handed Cassi her next weapon; a Bo staff. He took the nunchucks from her. Cassi held the Bo firmly in her hands, using it to help her balance. _This shouldn't be too difficult_ Don thought. _Mke probably just fell and Leo lost on purpose._

"Donatello!" At his Sensei's call, Don jumped up on the bamboo. The lights went out and the battle began. One of them was moving around quite a bit and was using the bo quite a bit. There was a clunk of a Bo connecting with a bamboo pole. One of them landed on the ground, and the lights came on. Cassi was still standing on the same pole, clutching the Bo and looking very surprised.

"You guys are pathetic!" Raph sneered as he jumped up. _Finally, I get a chance to kick the shell out of her and I'm not even gonna get in trouble! _Splinter took the Bo from Cassi and handed her two sai blades. The room darkened and one (most likely Raph) sprung into action. The sound of metal clanking meant that Raph (or Cassi) was able to attack the other, but the other blocked it. This continued for longer than the others did, but the sound of one of them falling to the ground ended it. When the lights came on, everyone but Splinter was surprised to see Cassi perfectly balanced on the poles.

"Not bad, Raphael." She commented, walking from pole to pole. The magenta clad turtle was walking on them as well as she could on solid ground. "Keep in mind, enemies can be deceitful. Things aren't always as they seem."

"Well done Cassiopeia." Splinter told her as she hopped down

"Thank-you Sensei," she replied. As he got to his feet, Raph couldn't take his eyes off of Cassi. The sly grin she was wearing from her act, he had seen it before, but not on her. It hit him hard.

"Celveliare." He said aloud.

"Huh?" Cassi asked when she heard the name.

"A girl we met at the Battle Nexus. She won the tournament." Mike explained. He was a little disappointed that he lost the title, which he had been hoping to keep for another three years, but he was okay to lose it to her.

"So she finally won." Cassi grinned. "She almost won a few years ago."

"So you do know her!" Raph exclaimed, and she nodded in response.

"I met her many years ago when I first participated." Studying her expression, Raph thought there might be more to it. _I know you're reading my mind, so listen up. Meet me in your dojo at 8:00pm tonight._

Cassi looked at the clock. "I better be going. My boss will kill me if I'm late." As she passed Raph, she whispered, "See you later."

---

Raph looked at the clock. It was 7:56. Cassi should be there any moment. She had a habit of being right on time. Sure enough, when the clock struck 8:00, she walked in.

"Hi Raph." She said, fastening her necklace. "You wanted to talk?"

"Yeah," he replied, "Ya know somethin' about her."

"Her?" At first, she was confused, but then she nodded as she read his thoughts. "You're right. I do." Cassi looked around. "Why'd you want to meet here?"

"Because," he began to explain as he tossed her a pair of Sais. "we never had round two. And BELIEVE me, I wantta have the chance to kick yer shell. Now, what're ya hiding about Celveliare?"

Cassi shook her head. "You wouldn't believe me."

Raph tried to attack her, but she dodged. "Try me."

"No, you couldn't handle it." She said, knocking a sai from him. For the first time, Raph managed to get Cassi off balance and make her stumble backwards. Of course, he used it to his advantage.

"Cassi!" Raph's voice was filled with frustration as he pinned one of her arms to the wall with his sai. "I'm head over heels for her! Tell me!"

"I was afraid of that!" Cassi groaned. "Okay, I'll tell you. I'm Celveliare!"

**A/N: Hey all! You may have noticed this in my other story, but there may be a few places where 'nunchucks' is spelled 'numchuks'. I apologize about this! My spell checker changes it automatically, even when I tell it not to ;-;. Please review, 'cause I don't think I'll finish this if no one likes it…**


	7. Truth About Hate

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry this update is so late. I haven't gotten a lot of time on the computer lately. Hopefully the next one won't take me as long!**

"What?" Raph asked, although he had heard just fine. He shook his head. "No ya aren't, ya can't be! She has a jewel in 'er forehead."

"It was fake."

"Long, brown hair with magenta streaks --"

"A wig."

"Magenta eyes --"

"Contacts."

"She has dark markin's all around 'er eyes--"

"Makeup! Raph, I'm sorry, I really am." She apologized. "I wanted to tell you earlier, but Master Splinter wouldn't let me."

"Yeah, I'm sure he wouldn'." Raph replied sarcastically as he started to leave.

"He wouldn't, Raph. It all started ten years ago. I wanted to go with Splinter to the Battle Nexus, but he wouldn't let me for fear you would follow and find out about me." Cassi leapt over top of him and stopped him from leaving. "Raph, please listen!" She pleaded. "I had to compromise with him. Celveliare was the compromise! As long as I pretended to be her, I could go."

"I suppose this was just another big game for you, huh?" He snapped.

"No! It wasn't! Nothing I've ever done has been a game!" She yelled back, tears stinging her eyes. Raph softened a little. He had never seen her cry before.

"Cassi, I..." He started.

"Don't apologize!" She told him as she fought her tears back. "I know I deserve this. To put it in your words, or thoughts, I'm a scheming bit…I won't say it the word, but you're right. It's just; I had a great time with you at the Battle Nexus."

"Ya did?" He brightened a bit.

Cassi smiled. "Yes, I did," She replied softly, "and I think I even started to fall for you."

"And I think I jus' did. I dunno, I guess I jus' expected more from ya, Cassi."

"What do you mean 'expected more from me'?" She was quiet, and then walked back into the dojo and to her punching bag. "I don't get it, Raph! Gad, why do you all think I'm so perfect?" She exclaimed furiously, kicking the punching bag. "I'm not! I worry, I have a temper, I can get stressed out easily, and I make mistakes all the time, I…" She kicked the bag again, but harder than the first time and the bag tore open, freeing the sand. It pooled down near her feet. "I just don't get it." Cassi muttered as she sank to her knees.

"I don't think yer perfect."

A sad smile flickered across her face, "Believe it or not, that's got to be the nicest thing I've heard in a while, Raph."

"An' I never did."

"That's not true; you did for a while, which only made your hate for me grow, but it wasn't me you hated, was it?"

"I…"

"No, it was the change I brought. A new turtle living with the four of you meant a different life. When Leo fell in love with me that only made it worse, didn't it? Things would change even more."

"Life's 'bout change Cassi. Nothin' can stop it."

"You're right, Raphael. Life is full of change that can't be stopped," At that moment, Cassi wasn't sure why, but she thought of Leo, "So why do you try?"

"'Cause I hate it." He muttered while walking over to her side.

---

Cassi lay on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. She had been home in her apartment for some time now, but she couldn't sleep. Too many thoughts were buzzing around her head. That was one of the things she hated about being a genius; she would over think things and make simple problems complicated.

"At least he doesn't hate me anymore…" Cassi mumbled to herself.

At first, she couldn't believe that Raph had kissed her, and she had let him. It was Leo who she loved, wasn't it? Now Cassi wasn't so sure. She really did feel like she was falling for Raph. To make matters worse, there had been a definite spark between Mike and her. _What am I getting into? I've got to stop it. It's just as I feared would happen when I was 16; they're all falling for me. _

Cassi turned on her side. She had to get to sleep. The five had an important rehearsal in the morning. She couldn't erase her thoughts or dampen them. To take them off her mind, Cassi turned on her radio. A smile crossed her face when she realized it was their début song playing. She was nearly asleep when it ended.

"Those five are really talented. They're going to go far." One of the radio announcers said.

"I agree, and they have such awesome names! Cassiopeia, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael and Donatello are supposedly their real names." The other replied.

"Nah, I don't believe they are." Cassi laughed at that remark. _You had better believe it _she thought as she finally drifted off to sleep.


	8. Rust, Pain and the Media

"Cassi? You're still here? I thought you left a few hours ago," Don said as he came into the science lab. A large, rusted bus was parked inside and Cassi was working on the engine.

She looked up and grinned, "Nah, I decided to work on an old bus I found. I was going to leave, that's why Leo has my necklace right now." Cassi stood up straight, brushed her bangs out of her eyes, and unknowingly smudged oil on her cheek. "What time is it?"

"Seven thirty. Didn't you say good-bye to us around two?"

"Yeah, and I've been here ever since," She said with a laugh. "I figure this bus might come in handy for looking after Sugar. I'll be able to get around her home quicker and bring supplies and things with me."

"Need some help?"

"Sure, I'd love some."

The two worked on the bus for a while, Cassi trying to start it every so often. Each time, they had no luck. Both were determined to get the bus to start, and finally, the roar of the engine was heard.

"We did it!" Cassi cheered.

"I'll say," Don grinned as he climbed up into the bus. "Now you just need to touch up the inside of the bus. I doubt whether you'd be able to transport much in this thing."

Cassi turned and surveyed the back of the bus, "Yeah, you're probably right about that. Another day's project."

"If you need a hand, I'd be glad to help out." He offered.

"Thanks Donnie, I may take you up on that."

---

"So? Are you ready?" Cassi asked the others nervously. "You can turn off your projectors you know." She added, a small grin spreading along her face as she looked at the four 'humans' before her. The nineteen-year-old was a human as well.

"Oh, right!" Donny said as he hit the switch. The others turned theirs off as well. Cassi reached into her purse and pulled the black case that held her necklace. After opening it, she gently took the golden chain in her hands and swung it around her neck. Her hands were shaking so much that she couldn't fasten the latch.

"Here." Leo said as he fastened it for her.

"Thanks!" She told him with an appreciative smile. Cassi glanced in the mirror in the small dressing room and caught the jealous looks Mike and Raph shot at Leo. Someone rapped on the dressing room door.

"You guys are on in ten. If you could please come with me backstage?"

"Sure, we're just about ready." Cassi called back. She turned to the boys. "This is it. Remember, play like we rehearsed and let me do the talking unless…"

"…Unless we're asked a direct question. We got it Cassi." Raph told her.

---

The audience erupted when they had finished playing. It blew Cassi away. She knew they were becoming popular, but she didn't realize how. The four boys were stunned as well. All five bowed to the crowd as the talk show host introduced them.

"Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Shell Shock!" The crowd roared again as the nervous yet excited group went to sit down. As their names were said, they waved to the audience. "We have Cassiopeia, Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo." When the crowd had settled down, the host turned to the turtles. "Thank-you guys for joining me."

"Thank-you for having us." Cassi replied.

"There's been a rumour floating around New York that those aren't your real names. Are they?"

"Yes, actually they are, as odd as they may be."

"Why the costumes?"

"We have two reasons. The first is privacy. No one knows what we really look like, so they won't recognize us. The second is their last name, Turtle. I just decided to be a turtle too." Cassi explained.

"Yeah, she thought a Gecko would be too out of place!" Mike said, and everyone laughed, including Cassi. "Though, she may be a Turtle someday."

---

"What have I done?" Cassi asked herself. She was sitting alone on the platform where she and Leo used to meet.

"What do you mean?" Leo asked, walking up to her. Cassi wasn't surprised to see him. Somehow, he always was there when she needed someone to talk to.

"The others are in love with me too. You didn't see it, but earlier today Mike and Raph gave you a nasty look, just because you did up my necklace." Leo looked stunned, but he didn't say anything as she continued. "You heard Mike's comment. I don't get it, Leo. I've only been on one date with Mikey, one unofficial date with Don and two with Raph - although they weren't official either."

"When were you with Don?"

"It was a while ago. I was doing some work in my lab and Don came in and helped me for a while. He nearly kissed me after he wiped some oil off of my face, but he stopped himself."

"I know about one with Raph, - I was in the studio and I heard you two yelling - but when was the other one?" He asked, and Cassi smiled slightly.

"Come now, Leonardo, it is not so hard to understand." She said, using a Japanese accent.

"You're Celveliare?" Cassi just nodded in response. A short silence fell between them.

"It's late; I probably should be getting home." She said as she unhooked her necklace._ You're not going to ask me anything important anyways. I'm slipping away from you and you still don't get it._

"Are you doing anything tomorrow night?" He asked as he took her necklace from her.

Cassi smiled, "Not yet."

"Meet me here at 7:00 tomorrow night." Leo instructed. The brunette nodded, then said goodnight.

**A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks to** **katielgk, asharatmnt, ashley-the-b-daplayer and twilightcloud18 for the reviews:D Much appreciated, guys!**


	9. Leo's Decision

_Leo is great. He always listens to me. Raph would have probably gotten upset if I had told him all of that, and Mikey would have said something to make me laugh, but he wouldn't really understand. Leo just waits patiently for me to get it all out. _Cassi smiled to herself as she locked her apartment door. _He's a great friend._

She stopped. Was that what Leo was to her now, just a friend? Cassi sighed. Had things changed that much in the last two years? Three years ago, she was head over heels for him. Now she had feelings for the others as well, feelings she couldn't sort out, no matter how hard she tried. _I'll see how tomorrow night goes, _She decided. _Maybe from there I'll be able to make a decision. _

---

_I know what I have to do, _Leo thought to himself as he waited for Cassi. All of last night, Leo had wrestled with himself, trying to talk himself out of what he was planning. No matter how hard he tried, the truth was clear, and it had been clear since before he asked Cassi out again.

---

Cassi shivered as she walked to Leo's and her meeting place. The cold weather was beginning to set in around the city. _I should've worn a jacket_ Cassi scolded herself. Once she reached the sewers, Cassi was quite relieved to get out of the wind. Up ahead, Leo was waiting for her.

"Shouldn't you be wearing a jacket?" He asked.

"It was warmer when I left, I swear. The cold wind came in from nowhere." The blue-eyed brunette grinned and changed the subject. "So, what are we doing tonight?" She asked as Leo handed her her necklace. When she had it on, he took her hand.

"Come with me." he said as he led her back to the home. As they walked, Leo began to explain. "We've been busy with the band, but not nearly as busy as we will be. I figure we should have a quiet date while we have the chance." Cassi agreed.

In her old part, Cassi had a living room with a good entertainment system. Leo had set up a movie night for the two of them.

---

Near the end of the movie, Leo noticed his right arm going numb. Cassi was leaning on it.

"Cassi," Leo started, but she didn't respond. When he didn't get a response, Leo spoke a little louder. When he didn't get an answer again, he realized she had fallen asleep. Looking at her, Leo noticed something. Just above where her mask was tied, on the back of her head was the scar from the flower box. Leo couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. He still felt like it was his fault she had the scar in the first place.

"I promise, I won't hurt you again, Peia." He whispered.

"Peia?" Cassi murmured as she began to wake up.

"Sorry, I don't know where that came from." Leo stammered. "I…"

"It's okay, Leo," Cassi said while sitting up, "I like it, but only you can call me that." Leo agreed and smiled, but his heart broke inside. _Way to go Leonardo. You're only making what you're going to do later harder on yourself._

---

"I'm sorry I fell asleep, Leo," Cassi started while they walked back to their platform in the sewers, "I guess all the band excitement has been kind of wearing me down lately."

"Things are only going to get busier," Leo pointed out in return.

"That's true, but I'm rather looking forward to it," Cassi grinned, "Soon we'll be able to go on the road, to other states and countries! Knowing Mikey, those bus trips will be anything but boring." The moment she mentioned Mikey's name, Leo saw a light in Cassi's eyes that he hadn't seen since they were sixteen. As much as it hurt him, he knew what he needed to do.

"Cassi…I…" He stuttered, trying to find the right words for what he wanted to say. Both of them were going to end up hurt, but he wanted to make it easier for her. "You don't want to be with me, I can see it in your eyes. You're happier around the others."

She stopped walking. "What?"

"What I'm trying to say…"

"Leo, I know what you're trying to say. You're trying to break up with me. That's kind of hard to do when you haven't even asked me to be your steady girlfriend, isn't it?"

"You went out with Mikey so soon after you came back. Since then, you always get so excited around him. I was waiting to see who you'd rather be with."

"I went on that date with Mike to make you jealous! I wanted you to ask me steady but you never seemed to get the hint."

"You should have just said something Cassi! I can't read minds as you can!"

"What was I supposed to say, 'Leo, ask me steady?' I can't just come out and say it like that!"

"Why not? It would've been a help for me!"

"It's supposed to be your idea! Another thing, you shouldn't need to read minds with all the hints I've been dropping lately!"

"I'm sorry Cassi, but I think it's just better this way," Leo said quietly, but strongly.

"Yeah. Yeah, I think so too." Cassi muttered back. Turning, she started walking away from him, tears streaming down her face. The blue masked turtle waited until she was far enough away before he also turned to leave. As he did, he let his own tears fall.

"It's just better this way, Cassi. It's better for you," Leo said softly.

**A/N: Hey again! I hope I kept Leo a bit more in character this time :-/ Thanks again to those who have reviewed. I say it so much, but I really do appreciate feedback . Comments and criticism are always welcome, just please be nice about it :) **


	10. Excitement and Hurt

**A/N: Thanks to those who've reviewed! I'll reply to them as soon as I can, but I'm afraid my email is acting up again :( One of these days I am going to brutally murder my antivirus thingy! **

_So much for coming to a decision, _Cassi shook her head as she packed her suitcase. _I really screwed up this time, didn't I? Leo's right; I should've said something. On the other hand, I practically did! Maybe we just don't belong together. _Even as she thought this, a tear slid down her face once more.

The five were performing at an awards show in another city in a few days. They were traveling separately. Leo was flying alone at his request, Raph and Mike were going together and Cassi and Don were going together. This way, they wouldn't draw attention to themselves. Cassi and Don were leaving first, the next morning.

Although they had only been around a few months, Shell Shock was becoming very popular. Word had gotten out that the five lived in New York. Now, no matter where you went, there were people eyeing the crowd, searching for the mysterious five. The group found it wasn't safe to travel together.

When she was nearly done packing, Cassi decided to stop by Chris's dorm. She wanted to let her friend know that she would be out of town so that the blond wouldn't worry. Knowing Chris, she wouldn't worry anyways, but Cassi wanted to be sure. As she knocked on the door, Cassi could hear music coming from behind it. When she didn't get an answer, Cassi tried the door. It wasn't locked.

"Chris?" She called, going in. She then realized that the song playing was their debut song. A shell Shock poster was hanging on the wall.

"Hey Cassi! I didn't hear the door."

"Obviously. Not you too, Chris!"

"What?"

"The Shell Shock craze."

At the mention of the band, Chris's eyes lit up. "Aren't they awesome? They've only released two singles and already they're huge!" _Which may not be a good thing for us _Cassi thought. "I don't know one person who doesn't like them!"

"I don't like them. Anyways, I just stopped by to..."

"Wait! What was that first part?"

"I don't like Shell Shock."

Chris gasped. "Why not?"

Cassi shrugged. "I don't know. As I was saying, I'm going out of town for a week or so. I tried to call you earlier, but I got no answer. I better get home and finish packing. See you in about a week!"

"Have fun." As Cassi left, she could hear Chris muttering to herself and saying things like, "How could she not like Shell shock? It's impossible."

----

The next morning, Cassi and Don headed to the airport. It was still quite dark out. Don was having a hard time staying awake. Cassi, however, was wide-awake.

"How are you able to stay awake like that?" Don asked after a while.

"I'm excited! I've never been on a plane before and we're performing at an awards show tomorrow." Cassi couldn't look at him because she was driving, but she could feel the look he was giving her. He knew there was more to it. "And," She admitted, "I had a lot of caffeine and sugar."

"That's what Mike did too."

"What? He's up already? He doesn't leave for five hours yet!"

"Actually, everyone was up thanks to him. When I left he was going through his suitcase for the seventh time making sure he had everything." Don groaned.

"I know you guys have to bring a packed suitcase for appearances sake, but what do you really need to bring besides a toothbrush and maybe a book?"

"I forgot to tell you, I made a few modifications to the holograph projectors. If you gently squeeze them, a beam of light will shoot out. If you move it along a picture, it will scan the outfit and produce it in the projection." Don yawned, then continued. "Mikey went through about twenty magazines looking for outfits."

Cassi was silent for a moment. "Donny," She said finally, "That was a brilliant idea!"

"I thought so at first, but now I'm not so sure."

"Why's that?"

"I created another thing Mike can use to be annoying!" Cassi laughed, but her laugh didn't seem sincere. Her heart wasn't in it. "What happened with you and Leo?" Don asked quietly.

"Oh, nothing…" Cassi muttered, and again she received the same look from Don. Once again, he knew there was more to it.

"Don't give me that. Leo's been moping around the lair, depressed, and you're not too far from being depressed yourself." He pointed out and Cassi sighed.

"You might as well know, I guess," Cassi started, not talking her eyes off the road, "We've - Leo and I - officially broken up." The last part came out in a whisper.

Don looked at her in shock. "What!"

"You heard me."

"But, you two have been seeing each since we were sixteen!"

"Not really, Donnie. We were just kids at the time, and then there was that two-year gap that we were separated. I guess time just changed us and we grew apart."

"Do you honestly believe that, Cassi?"

"I…so, are you excited about the awards show?" Cassi changed the subject and forced herself to sound happier.


	11. Should We Start Over?

**A/N: Hello :) This was a fun chapter to write, I hope you all like it! Please R&R!**

Back at the home, Mike really was driving everyone nuts. He was going through all his suitcases making sure he had the right magazines. Once he had counted them, he would flip through each making sure that the outfits he had picked were there. Mikey was about to start again for the 26th time when Raph stopped him with a flick to the back of the head.

"Knock it off Mike! We have to leave soon!"

Rubbing his head, Mikey looked up at the clock. "Why? Our plane doesn't leave for a couple hours."

"You still have to go and check in. That could take a while." Leo pointed out, not looking up from the book he had submerged himself in.

"Don and Cassi are probably halfway there by now." Mike said while zipping up his suitcase.

"Nah," Raph disagreed, "They're probably only boarding."

---

"I never realized my passport photo was so bad," Cassi complained, taking her seat on the plane. Don sat down beside her.

"I thought it was good," He told her, "At least you look like you're completely there. Ours look almost as if we're fading away."

"Really? Let me see it." Don passed her the passport and she examined the picture. "I must've made a mistake somewhere in my programming. I thought I had fixed it so that the flash of a camera wouldn't affect it," She sighed wearily and handed the passport back to it's owner, "I'll get back to work on it as soon as we're back in New York." Cassi didn't seem quite so energetic as before. Once they were in the air, it became obvious that the effects of little sleep were catching up on her. She was unusually quiet.

"Tell me Cassi, exactly how much sleep did you get last night?" Don asked with a grin. "It certainly wasn't the required eight hours."

"Not much, that's for sure." Cassi murmured, stirring a packet of sugar into her coffee. "This is only my second. I just had one this morning." Cassi answered the question in his mind. "You should have seen me around exam time at University."

"I thought you didn't need to study, you knew pretty much all of it."

"I did know it. How do you think I passed my courses so quickly? I had to help Chris."

"Does she know...?" Don didn't need to finish. After trying to suppress a yawn with little success, Cassi shook her head.

"Imagine the shock she'll get when she finds out who and what I am." Cassi said, grinning.

---

Unfortunately, for Mike and Raph, the same person who was at the desk when Cassi and Don checked in was there when they checked. He was more than a little bit confused.

"You were here earlier! At least, one of you was!"

"No, we weren't," Mike replied honestly.

"Yes, you were! You were here with that cute brunette!" Now the two were certain that he meant Don and Cassi, but they remained looking stunned.

"Like my…uh, _twin_ said, we weren' here." Raph said, trying to be patient. _She just had to make us look exactly alike, didn't she? _

"You're even going to the same place they were!"

"Dude, I think you need a coffee break." Mike suggested.

"I think so too." The employee muttered.

---

Everyone decided to meet at the hotel once they all had arrived in the city. They had booked rooms on the same floor, in the same hall. Leo was the last to check in. He headed down the hallway to his room. Raph, Don and Mike were waiting for him.

"Hey guys." The blue-spiked haired teen greeted his brothers, "Where's Cassi?" Leo asked quietly, noticing that she wasn't there. Don pointed to the room a little ways down behind him.

"She's getting some sleep. I don't think she got very much last night." Don grinned. "She nearly fell asleep on the plane a few times, but you know Cassi. If it's her first time with something, she wants to remember every moment, even if it kills her."

"I didn' see her, she was already asleep by the time we got here, but apparently, she looked really trashed." Raph smirked, trying to imagine Cassi looking untidy. Whenever she went out in public, Cassi was one to make sure that she looked presentable.

"Oh gee, thanks Raph." A sarcastic tone said. Cassi was standing behind him, looking somewhat angry, but that soon changed. A grin spread across her face. "He's right." She told Leo. "I did look pretty bad." Cassi certainly didn't anymore. Her hair was brushed and in her usual neat ponytail and the dark circles under her eyes was gone. "How long did I sleep?" She asked Don.

"A couple hours. You could continue to, you know, Cassi." He pointed out. Cassi shook her head.

"No, I can't. We have a rehearsal in just under an hour." Leo checked his watch.

"We do too. I'll meet you guys later. I'm going to put my suitcase away and try to dig out Cassi's necklace." The others agreed and headed off. Leo turned and entered his room, and Cassi followed after him.

"How was the plane ride up here?" Cassi asked Leo as he set his suitcase down on his bed.

"A little lonely, but fine," He admitted, trying his best not to look at her, "Cassi, is there something you want?"

"My necklace."

"I don't have it. You…you left wearing it the other night, remember?"

"Yeah?" she replied, opening the outside pocket on his luggage and pulling out the black case that contained her necklace. "Remember when I stopped by the lair the other day? I slipped it into your suitcase then."

"Why?"

"We may not be dating, but I still trust you. I trust you more then I trust myself." Cassi touched his arm gently, and looked up into his eyes. "I don't want to always be fighting with you. I still like being around you, Leo. Just because we're not romantically involved doesn't mean we can't still be friends."

"After all this time, seeing you the way I have, it's not going to be easy to do that, Cassi…" He whispered, zipping up his suitcase.

"Nothing ever is easy." She whispered back, feeling nearly the same way about it.

"…but I'll agree," Leo finished, giving her a smile. "It'll take a while…"

"But we'll make it work. We always have." Cassi grinned, "Should we start over and put everything behind us?"

"Why not?"

Cassi extended her hand, "Hi, I'm Cassiopeia."

"I'm Leonardo." Leo replied, taking her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Miss. Tell me, you didn't get any sleep last night, or fall asleep this afternoon, did you?" Cassi grinned and blushed.

"No kind sir, I did not."


	12. Ready For Some Things, Not Others

**A/N: Okay, so I was rereading the last chapter I posted, when I noticed one of my errors. It might have confused you, so I'm going to explain now. At one point, Leo says, "I'm going to put my suitcase away and try to dig out Cassi's necklace." Forget the part about Cassi's necklace. Please. I forgot to delete it, but I promise I'll reload that chapter when I'm not feeling as lazy -.-. (Shifty eyes smiley, cause it might not happen for quite some time)**

**Basically, what I'm doing is copying small sections from the big document and pasting them into a separate document. From there, I rewrite. You see, in the original version, Leo and Cassi don't split up at all. Instead, she kind of dates all four. I decided to change this to make it a bit more eventful, and to keep Leo in character. **

"Hey guys!" Mike greeted the two as they came onto the stage in the large stadium.

After plugging in his keyboard, Don looked over at Cassi. "What took so long?" He asked Cassi and Leo, who appeared to be civil with each other once again. A smile managed to creep along his face. It was good to see them getting along.

"We had a hard time finding my necklace. Someone," Cassi said turning to Leo with a look the read 'play along,' "forgot which pocket he put it in."

This time, he got the hint. "It's not like I forgot on purpose," Leo said back. _Why did you just understand that hint yet not my other hints from before? I don't understand you, Leo. I guess I should just put that behind me. After all, we 'started over.' It's going to be hard acting like nothing ever happened between us. Who knows? Maybe eventually, it will be like nothing happened._

"Nice one, Miss I-can-read-memories." Mike teased, and his blue clad brother ignored the look in his eyes. Leo looked away completely, setting up his bass so the hurt and pain currently written on his own face wouldn't be seen. Despite what all had happened, it still wasn't easy to know that Cassi loved someone else, and that someone loved her back. _I suppose I'm going to have to get used to acting like I'm okay with this. Maybe in time, it'll no longer be an act._

"Let's just start rehearsal, okay?" Cassi said, grinning, and everyone agreed to this. Leo turned off his projector and Cassi hooked her necklace on. The other three waited as the two put on their head sets and adjusted the microphones. Although only Mikey and Cassi sang, they all would introduce themselves.

"Shouldn' someone else be 'ere too?" Raph asked, looking around at the empty stadium. "Y'know, like some tech guys or somethin'?"

"Nope. I booked a private rehearsal for today. We practice with everyone tomorrow." Cassi explained as she stepped onto her marker in the middle of the stage.

She gave the boys their signal and they began to play. After taking a deep breath in, she began to sing. Their music echoed throughout the empty stadium, filling it completely. When they had finished, Cassi felt like she could already hear the crowds.

"Are you sure you guys don't want a solo?" She teased the four, knowing that three of the four were dead set against singing.

"We already agreed on this Cassi," Leo reminded her.

"You do the main vocals," Don started.

"And I'll gladly do back-up," Mikey finished, grinning wildly.

"There's no way you'll ever get me to sing," Raph declared, making everyone crack up.

---

"I love the night," Cassi sighed as she and Mike walked through a field close to their hotel.

"I know," Mike grinned, "that's why I suggested this."

"You do realize that we'll be arrested if we're caught, right?" Cassi asked, raising an eyebrow. "This is private property, Mikey."

"I know that too. Don't you think it would be fun to be arrested? The handcuffs would match your necklace!"

"No they wouldn't. My necklace is gold, remember, Mike? Not metal or rust," In spite of the seriousness in her voice, Cassi laughed as soon as the words had come from her mouth. "We should really go. I don't want to be arrested," This time, she was serious.

"All right, all right. It's a shame that they're going to tear up this land for construction, though," He pointed out, and Cassi agreed. "Although, a stadium for comic conventions might make up for it…"

"You nut, nothing can ever replace nature!"

"…_I'm_ the nut?"

The brunette grinned. "Yep."

"Word from Donnie is that you and Leo broke up…is that true?" Mikey asked softly, allowing his newfound sombre self out for a while.

"Yeah…yeah, it's true," she admitted.

"You know how I feel about you, don't you?"

"Yes, Mikey, I do."

"Would you be my steady girl, Cassi?"

_He knows how it works. How come his brother didn't? Wait...you put that behind you. Let the past go, Cassiopeia._ Blue eyes stared out at the grassy land before her, as if searching for an answer to give him.

"Not yet, Mike," she finally said. "I know we weren't together long after I came back, but the break up with Leo did hurt. I'm not ready for another relationship yet."

Disappointment was obvious in his voice and face, but he nodded. "Fair enough."

---

Cassi walked into her hotel room and shut the door. It had been an extremely long day for her and she was exhausted. She clipped her necklace back on and flopped down on her bed. Only then did she realize that she had left the window open.

The turtle sighed. She didn't really want to have to get up again and her window was across the room. Did she dare risk it…? _Yes_, she decided as she stretched out her right arm.

Unfortunately, for her, Mike was walking past her room at that moment. A bright pinkish light coming from under Cassi's door made him stop. He knocked softly on her door as he opened it.

"Cassi?" He asked softly. The sight that met his eyes made him gasp. He couldn't believe it!


	13. Magic and Music

The light was coming from Cassi's right hand, which she had extended towards the window. As Cassi fluently moved her hand downwards, the window moved too. The window shut silently and the pink light grabbed the latch and locked it tightly. Mike just stared open mouthed in disbelief. He was in shock.

"If I didn't see that with my own eyes…" He whispered and his voice startled Cassi. She stopped what she was doing and immediately turned to face him.

"You saw me…?" she trailed off as a wide-eyed Mikey nodded. A short while later, Cassi found herself giving Mike the full explanation. After she had locked the door, the two sat on Cassi's bed as she spoke in a low voice, not wanting to take any chances that someone else should discover her secret.

"I have special powers, and I always have had them. My powers are being able to control objects, sending out surges of electricity, changing form, turning invisible, reading minds and enhanced mental abilities, or, in other words, I'm a genius."

"Is that all?" Mike asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, that's it."

"Besides reading our minds and being a brainiac, why didn't you show us any of these before?"

"I did whenever I used my sword. It alone has no power of any kind. When I originally made it, I was using it to help focus my powers. I used to have a hard time controlling them. It's because of that that Master Splinter separated us in the first place. When I lost control, I was dangerous. You could've been hurt," The last part of her sentence was spoken with a sad and faraway tone. There was something else, Mike knew it, but he didn't dare ask what. After she said this, a silence fell between the two of them.

"Why didn't you tell us, Cassi?" He asked softly.

She looked at him with pained eyes. "It's not that I didn't want to, Mike. I couldn't tell you. At the time, I didn't understand my powers. How would you guys?" Cassi sighed and turned her gaze to the white carpeted floor. "No Mikey, I still don't understand them, but I know more about them now, and I have better control now."

"So, you have no idea how you got them?"

She shook her head.

"Maybe you're the daughter of a super hero!" Mike said jokingly.

"For all I know, I very well could be."

"Can you use your powers to move something again? Please?" An idea struck her and a sly grin crossed Cassi's face.

"Sure, Mikey." She lifted her hand and it began to glow. The light flowed around Mike and gently pushed him to the door. She stopped when the disguised turtle reached it.

"Funny, Cassi. See you in the morning," He said, opening the door.

"Goodnight. Oh and Mike, don't tell the others," Cassi told him, and she meant it.

The orange-spiked haired teen smiled. "Don't worry, Cassi. I won't."

Around the corner, Leo pressed himself as close to the wall as he could, hoping Mikey wouldn't see him. The blue haired one had been going to the ice machine when he heard Cassi's door open. Leo heard the last thing Cassi and Mike said to each other, and his mind unwillingly jumped to conclusions. Once Mikey had gone, Leo slipped quietly into his own room, trying not to feel hurt.

---

"And now, kicking off the show, give it up for Shell Shock!" The crowd roared at the mention of the group's name. Cassi wasn't sure what was pounding more, the thunder of the applause or the beating of her heart.

The boys started playing right on cue. Cassi was scared out of her mind. This was the biggest crowd they had ever played for. She closed her eyes for a moment and let the music surround her.

At first, her voice quivered a bit, but she managed to come in on time. After a short moment, her voice smoothed out. The crowd was silent throughout the song, but at the end, they fired up again. All five were shocked at the response, but all grinned.

---

"Do you think we'll win any awards?" Mikey asked Cassi once they were backstage. Cassi shook her head.

"We may have been around for a few months, but we're still considered a new band. I don't think we're nominated for anything." She told him, but then gave him a reassuring smile. "Maybe we'll get nominated next year."

"We'll win next year! You heard the crowds!" He exclaimed. Cassi rolled her eyes, but grinned as they headed off with the others to their seats.

The group reached their seats just as the host was reading the last two nominees for an award. None of them were paying attention yet. They didn't even know what the award was.

"And the winner is…" the host started, opening the envelope, "Shell Shock!"

The five instantly stopped at the mention of their name. Cassi gasped and the boys cheered excitedly. All went up to the stage, but the four persuaded Cassi to say a few words. She took a deep breath and reluctantly stepped up to the microphone.

**A/N: I hope you guys liked this chapter . I had fun putting it together. Oh, and to clarify, I think it's obvious what Leo's assuming xP This story is rated T for a reason, people. I refuse to use profanity, but... well, you get the point. Please R&R :D**


	14. Sleep on a Plane

**A/N: Hello again! Just a note about this one, I kind of randomly added in Shadow. Yeah, maybe you could just pretend that she joined the picture during a time I didn't write about...yeah...Oh, and if you've reviewed and I haven't replied, sorry! Just send me a PM or something, and I'll get a reply out! I like to make sure I reply, but sometimes I get kind of mixed up :S** **Oh, and yes, the chapter's title is indeed a parody of the movie I haven't seen xD**

April practically flew through her front door, dashed through the hallway and finally made it to the living room where she turned on the TV. She couldn't believe that she had forgotten that the five were performing tonight! True, she had enjoyed taking little Shadow out to the park, but she had meant to get back sooner.

Setting the one-year-old down on the carpet, April watched the screen intently. The audience was applauding another performance and the host was holding an award, getting ready to present it. _I can't believe I missed them!_ April thought angrily. From the looks of things, the entire show was nearly over.

April sighed. Her friends were becoming celebrities and she had missed their first major performance. She was about to turn off her television when she realized who it was receiving the award. Shadow's eyes lit up and she squealed at the sight she saw.

"I don't believe it! Go Shell Shock!" April cheered as she watched the five walk up on stage. Cassi stepped up to the microphone.

"Ca!" Shadow exclaimed.

"Yeah, it's Auntie Cassi," she told the little girl

"You know, it's kinda funny. Right after our performance this evening, Mike asked me if I thought we'd win any awards. I said no. Truthfully, I knew we were nominated, but I didn't think we'd win anything. I didn't tell the four about our nominations because I didn't want it to go to their heads. I guess I was wrong!'

"All I can say is that this night has been very overwhelming for all of us. Firstly, thanks to the Lord for blessing us so greatly when I know we, or rather, I, don't deserve any of it." Cassi grinned and looked at the four standing around her. "These guys do. Thanks to all our friends back in New York who supported us and to all our fans! Thanks so much from the five of us!"

April couldn't help but grin. Cassi looked so happy standing up on the stage. For as long as she'd known Cassi, the turtle had always been trying to find the place where she fit in, where she belonged, yet she had never quite found it. _I don't know, Cassi. Something's not right. I don't think that's where you belong._

---

For the trip back to New York, the boys switched. Mike went with Cassi, Leo and Raph flew together and Don went alone. Mikey was dying to hear more about Cassi's powers. He knew that she wouldn't say anything more, but that didn't stop him from trying.

Mike knew he couldn't ask Cassi aloud because it would attract attention, so he chose a different method. It was common knowledge to theIn his mind, it was a good way to make his request known.

It didn't appear to be working. When he met up with Cassi at the airport, she was reading. She smiled at him, but that was all. While they were checking in, she showed no signs of annoyance. Once on the plane, she went right back to reading her book. In fact, Cassi didn't say one word to Mike - or anyone else - at all.

_We'll talk later Mike, maybe in a week or so, in New York._

Mike looked over at Cassi. He had heard her voice, but she appeared to be sleeping.

_I'm not sleeping yet, Mikey. You're hearing me in your mind._

_You can send your thoughts to us? How come you never mentioned that?_

Cassi smiled, but she still looked like she was asleep.

_I classify it under 'reading minds.' Besides, I only recently got the hang of it._

_Okay, fine. So why do I have to wait until like a week before you say more about your powers? I can't wait that long!_

_I lost my voice, okay?_

Mike laughed aloud, earning a few stares from other passengers. His projection blushed as he did, but he pretended that he didn't notice.

_Are you serious, Cassi? _

She turned to look at him and nodded while glaring fiercely.

_I don't find it funny. At all. _

_Sorry, Cassi. It's just, you didn't do that much talking last night, did you?_

_Actually, I did. The press were relentless._

_Hey, why can't you say more about your powers now, over your thought-com?_

Cassi smirked and looked out the window, then closed her eyes.

_I did. _

_You told me you classify this as mind reading, that's all! Can't you tell me anything else? Please? _He didn't get a response from her. _Cassi? Cassi!_ This time, she had fallen asleep.


	15. Yes, Mikey

_A/N: Sorry this chapter took me so long! I completely forgot about it! Okay, well maybe not completely...but I did forget! Sorry! I'm just going to run away from the angry crowd now..._

Later that night, Cassi was sitting alone in her apartment, reflecting on her recent experience. She couldn't believe her dream was coming true! Shell Shock had been a huge hit almost instantly. The past few days were certainly proof of that. Her only regret was that Mikey found out about her powers. Cassi shook her head. Usually she was careful with them, why hadn't she been this time? She had to be more careful.

The nineteen year old gazed over at the trophies sitting on her table. She still couldn't believe that they had won, even though they were awards for new bands. When Cassi was told of their nominations, she quickly decided to keep the four from knowing. If they - er, if Mikey - had known, it would've gone straight to their heads, which was the last thing she wanted. Shell Shock were the proud owners of the titles 'Most Promising Band', 'Best Debut Song,' and 'Fan's Choice Shooting Stars,' at until next year.

Cassi decided that she would polish the trophies tomorrow (all were covered in fingerprints from everyone they knew excluding Chris because everyone wanted to admire them.) and sneak them into the display room back at their home. Christmas was only a week away, and she wanted to surprise the boys. Besides, she had to make she the other surprise was done.

A knock on her door brought her out of her thoughts. _Who would be knocking at 8 o'clock at night? _Only two people knew where she lived, April and Chris. Cassi hoped it wasn't Chris. Even now, Cassi didn't want her friend to know she was in the band, and if Chris saw the trophies, she would know right away.

Cassi walked over to the door and looked through the hole. She could only see one part of her visitor, orange spikes. Cassi sighed. Michelangelo.

"Hi Cassi!" He said as she opened the door.

"Hey Mike. Come in. I take it April gave you my address?" She asked, and he nodded.

"I see you got your voice back," Mike pointed out as she shut the door.

"Chris gave me her family's home remedy when she came by. She brought it to me after I talked to her on the computer," Cassi explained as she shuddered.

"It worked, didn't it?" Mike asked sitting down on her couch.

"It may have given me my voice back, but it murdered my taste buds," Cassi shivered, remembering the horrible taste. She walked around her apartment, closing all her windows and shutting the blinds.

"Uh, Cassi…?" The confused turtle asked as she shut the last window.

"You want to know more about my powers, and I don't want anyone seeing anything. Ok, it's safe to turn off your holograph projector." Cassi told him, and Mikey turned it off.

"Something you said has been bugging me. I was joking when I said that you might be the daughter of a superhero. You said you might be. I thought you were a gecko?"

Cassi sighed. "When I told you guys I was a gecko, I honestly thought I was. Now, I'm not so sure. You see, when I change my form, my DNA changes too. It's possible I was born a human, with my powers." As she explained, she was looking through her suitcase, which she still hadn't unpacked.

"So how did you end up with us?" He asked, watching Cassi and trying to figure out what she was doing.

"Perhaps I saw a gecko and I imitated it and then started crawling around the sewers. I don't know. Somehow, I ended up as a gecko, with you guys. From there, the mutagen changed me, but didn't affect my DNA. The mutagen made me forget a lot of what or who I was, so you'd think all I'd have to do is search my memories. Yes, Mikey, I can search my own memories, except for one problem. The problem is, before I mutated, I put up what I refer to as a mental block." She turned to him with an expression he had never seen her use before. "A mental block stops me from accessing that part of my mind. It seals it. There's something in my past I didn't want myself to remember!" Anger blazed in Cassi's eyes, along with frustration.

"How do you know this much?" Mike asked carefully. He didn't want to upset her more.

Cassi took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly. "I've managed to partially break through."

"Just not enough to find out what you want, right?" Mikey took a guess, and Cassi just nodded sadly. Changing the subject slightly, he grinned. "Can you move something again? That was so awesome!"

Cassi smiled. "I had a feeling you would want me to do that. That's why I kept my necklace." The brunette pulled out the sleek, black case that held her necklace. After fastening the chain around her neck, she got to her feet.

The turtle surveyed the room. What was something she could move without disrupting something else? There had to be something! Her eyes lit up the moment she saw it. _Perfect_ She thought.

She raised her right arm and her hand began to glow. Cassi lifted her suitcase up from the ground. Using her other hand, she zipped it shut without touching it once. Mike watched in awe. _It doesn't take much_ Cassi thought as she lowered the suitcase to the ground.

Mikey turned away for a moment, looking for something else for Cassi to lift with her powers, something heavy. When he turned back to Cassi, she was gone! He knew that she hadn't walked by him. Someone sat down beside him, but no one was there.

"You are something else, Cassi," Mikey told her as she made herself visible.

"Thanks," she blushed. "I wish I wasn't, sometimes."

He leaned forward and kissed her. "I'm glad you are. Have you thought over what I asked you…?"

"You're so impatient!" Cassi teased him. "Actually, yes, I have. I don't want to move too fast with you, Mikey, but yes, I'll be your steady girlfriend."


	16. Deck Every Doorway in the Home!

_A/N: Yup, Christmas time for the turtles! There's one more Christmas chapter after this...the next chapter! xD Oh yes, and a very surprising thing about Sugar, Cassi's pet, will be revealed soon, probably within the next four-five chapters. Maybe sooner. Any guesses as to what it might be? ;D_

There seemed to be magic in the air that brisk winter morning. Cassi grinned as she looked out her frost painted window. The falling snow danced and twirled gracefully in the wind. Christmas had always been her favourite day of the year. It even beat out her birthday.

Cassi hummed 'jingle bells' to herself as she got herself ready. She took the presents that she had wrapped the night before off her table. The trophies were already at the boy's home. Today was going to be great.

As she walked down the street to where her car was parked, Cassi was surrounded by the joyful sounds of children. They were all eager to play with their new toys. _I remember when that was me. _Every year she would sneak out to go sledding. That had been her tradition for as long as Cassi could remember. Of course, the first couple times had made Splinter worried as heck when he couldn't find her, but he soon got used to it.

Her first stop before she went to visit the others was at the university. Cassi rapped breathlessly on her friend's door. She hoped that Chris would like her present; it had taken her some time to make. A bleary-eyed Chris opened the door.

"Merry Christmas!" Cassi exclaimed. Chris smiled and let Cassi in.

"Sorry Cassi, I'm not really awake yet," The blond said with a yawn.

"You were out late again, I see. Maybe this will wake you up more," Cassi said holding out the present. Chris took the package and unwrapped the bright coloured paper. She lifted the lid and gasped. A brand new pair of nunchucks lay inside. "I know you've always wanted a pair."

A stunned look was frozen on Chris's face. Finally, she spoke. "Thanks Cassi! This is unbelievable! Did you make them, like we agreed to do for our presents?" She asked suspiciously.

Cassi nodded. "For the most part, I did. I had some help from a friend of mine," Mikey had helped Cassi a little. Chris gingerly picked one up and ran her fingers over the wood.

"Thanks again, Cassi. These are amazing. I'm afraid your gift isn't quite dry yet."

Cassi laughed. "I'll come by later. See you later!" She said as she left. Chris was about to put the box away when she noticed an envelope beneath the nunchucks. Inside it were three pieces of paper. One was a note from Cassi:

_You know I don't like them, so I won't be the one to go with you. And no, I'm not breaking our agreement. I did make your present; I just decided to add to it. Merry Christmas!_

_Cassi._

Chris looked at the other papers and nearly fainted. They were two tickets to the sold out concert that Shell Shock was opening! Better yet, they were floor tickets. Outside at her car, Cassi (and the rest of the campus) heard Chris's shriek.

---

"Merry Christmas, guys!" Cassi called out as she entered the home. There was no answer. Hanging above the door, not to her surprise, was mistletoe. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her necklace and fastened it around her neck.

Just as she suspected, Mikey came running out towards her. Cassi smirked, yet stood in the same spot. At the last possible moment, Cassi jumped out of the way. He smacked into the door.

"Nineteen and still so clueless," She said teasingly as he moaned. "You know I hate the tradition of mistletoe."

"Merry Christmas, Cassi!" April called.

"Hey April, Merry Christmas to you too! I didn't know you were here yet." Seeing April enter the room, Mikey groaned and handed her a five-dollar bill.

"I walked in on Mikey planning to kiss you no more than thirty seconds after you walked in the door. I told him that he wouldn't be able to because of how much you hate mistletoe. Our discussion ended in a bet -which Splinter and Raph joined in - and Splinter and I won." With that, April shot Mikey a triumphant look.

"A consolation prize," Cassi told him, grinning as she handed him one of the gifts she was carrying. The orange bearing turtle unwrapped a copy of their debut CD, which would be in stores the following week.

Their self titled album looked better than any of them had imagined. All that was on it was their name, Shell Shock, printed in bold letters with a dark pattern of a shell behind it. The fact that it was their first album was what made it so enchanting. All five were incredibly proud of it.

While Mikey and April were marvelling at the CD, Cassi took the opportunity to sneak away for a few minutes before the others discovered she had arrived. She went into Splinter's room. He was removing the mistletoe from the doorway leading to Cassi's part,

"Mike's covered every doorway in the house, hasn't he Sensei?"

Splinter nodded. "Indeed, I believe he has. I would be careful Cassiopeia."

Cassi grinned. "I will, Master Splinter. By the way, you April won the bet."

"I expected that we would."

"Am I that predictable?" She sighed. "Oh well. Merry Christmas Master Splinter," She handed him a small package wrapped in festive paper.

Splinter unwrapped a small circular, silver object. It was a holograph projector, like the ones the boys had. Cassi showed him how to use it, and he turned it on. When the Sensei looked in the mirror, a look of astonishment and recognition took over him. Splinter turned to Cassi and gave her a questioning look.

"A while ago, when I was browsing the internet, I found a picture of your master at a competition. I used part of him to design your projector. I thought it was only right, as he will always be a part of you," Cassi explained.

"Thank-you Cassiopeia. This means a lot to me. I am not sure how often I will use it as I do not go above ground as much as you."

"Don't worry, Master Splinter, you'll need it a lot sooner and more than you think," Cassi assured him with bit of a sly grin upon her face.


	17. Can't a Girl Change Her Mind?

_A/N: In this chapter - and the story - whenever I mention another band, it's most likely a parody of a band that really does exist. I decided to because it's fun to think of parodies and…no wait, it's only because I'm uncreative and can't think of original band names xD_

"Cassi, what exactly are we doing? I thought you said we'd see the surprise after supper," Mike pointed out. April, Splinter and the boys were all gathered in Sugar's home, wondering what Cassi was up to. The giant serpent was nowhere to be seen.

"The surprise was originally planned for later," Cassi said while entering codes into a computer terminal mounted on the wall. A staircase rose up in front of the others. "But then I remembered how sick April got last time she rode 'The Sugar Express'. Also, Casey and Shadow aren't here yet. I don't think Shadow is old enough to be riding Sugar," Cassi explained, walking over to the group.

"No, Cassi! I am not riding that snake again!" April protested.

"Oh, relax April. It'll be fine," Cassi told her, then whistled sharply. At first it was quiet, but soon the ground beneath them began to shake. The shaking grew stronger as the snake came nearer. Soon, Sugar emerged from the door closest to the group, much to April's displeasure.

On Sugar's back it looked like there was a large box strapped to it. Sugar slithered quietly over to them and lined the box up with the stairs. Cassi climbed the stairs and instructed everyone to have a seat.

When they climbed up, the others saw that there were six seats inside the box. Cassi waited until everyone was seated, then flicked a switch on the stairs. Instantly, seatbelts fastened around the six that were sitting down.

Cassi leapt onto Sugar's back in front of the box. Leaning forward, she whispered in a hushed voice so only the snake could hear what she was saying. Sugar looked up at Cassi the best she could and winked at the turtle. She then began to slither off.

Much to April's surprise, the ride was quick and smooth. In her opinion, Sugar had grown up a bit from the last time. They even arrived sooner than Cassi thought they would, which was good. Sugar aligned the seats up with another set of stairs and patiently waited for everyone to get down.

By the time they had undone their seatbelts, Cassi was standing over by a huge curtain. Cassi looked more excited than anyone did, and she had a good reason to be. She couldn't wait to see their reactions. When they had all gathered by her, Cassi pulled the rope that raised the curtain.

"Awesome!" Mike exclaimed when he saw Cassi's surprise.

"This is amazing!" Don said excitedly. Raph and Leo were speechless.

There, before them stood an emerald green tour bus that was nearly twice as long as an average one. Bold lettering screamed "Shell Shock" on the sides. The windows were tinted and were still perfect with no marks on them. A large decorative Christmas bow completed it.

"Guys," Cassi said proudly, "we're going on our first ever tour! Master Splinter, you're coming along! April, you, Casey and Shadow are welcome to come along too."

Don walked around the outside of the bus, completely in shock still. "Cassi," he started, "is this the bus we worked on a couple times?"

"Yes, it is," she beamed. "I did a lot more work on it than just what we did those couple times, obviously. After we removed the seats, I added to the bus, making it taller and longer. Soon after I added bunks, a little kitchen type thing…lots of interesting features you'll see later on."

"Who are we touring with?" Leo asked.

"Oh, no one really big…" Cassi grinned, looking up at the bus.

"C'mon Cassi, who is it?" Mike asked excitedly.

"Meh, just a bunch of guys who go by Blue Da…" The words were barely out of her mouth when Mikey squealed.

"No way, Cassi, really?" Raph asked, and she nodded.

"Yep, and soon after we're going to be opening for Difficult Plan, which is the one that I'm excited about," Cassi admitted. "I've always liked them, but I never dreamed that we'd get to open for them."

"Somebody pinch me! This is too good to…OW! RAPH!"

"Ya said ya wanted to be pinched," Raph replied, giving his brother a half grin.

"I didn't mean really!"

---

"This has to have been the best Christmas ever!" Mikey exclaimed. "It just sucks that you have to leave so soon."

Cassi laughed. "Mikey, it's past midnight. It's not soon."

"It's too soon for me. Hey, do you want me to give your necklace to Leo? I know that you still prefer him to keep it for you."

"Yeah, thanks Mike, but before I take it off…" She trailed off and kissed him. When they broke away, before Mikey could say anything, Cassi pointed up. There, above the two standing in the doorway was a bunch of mistletoe.

"But…I thought you hated mistletoe," Mikey pointed out.

"A girl can change her mind, can't she?" Cassi asked, handing Mikey her necklace.

"I guess, but why couldn't you have changed your mind before I lost the bet?"


	18. The Moods on the Bus Go Up and Down

_A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I'm pleased to know there are other Simple Plan fans around here xD I'm a huge fangirl of them...seriously...Story Girl knows that ;D Obviously, that's what Difficult Plan is a parody of. Blue Day is a parody of Green Day, who I actually don't like xP Uh..I'll run away from all the Green Day fans now..._

A month passed by very quickly and a new year had begun. For the group, January was a busy month filled with important meetings and rehearsals. The little spare time they had was spent getting packed for their first tour. One thing was certain; the year was looking to be a promising one for Shell Shock.

Before they knew it, they were on their bus heading for California. Everyone was excited, but the five turtles were extremely nervous. April volunteered to be their driver. According to her, she wouldn't feel safe with any of them driving, not even Casey.

"Are you sure you want to, April? You're going to have to drive almost non-stop until midnight, then be up again early to continue driving. It's a long way!" Cassi pointed out as she sat down beside Leo on a sofa in the bus.

"Yes, Cassi, I am completely sure. I don't want to repeat what happened five years ago," April said while adjusting the driver's seat.

"It's a long story," Cassi explained to Leo, Raph, Don, Mike, Casey and Master Splinter who were all giving her a funny look. Not knowing what was going on, Shadow looked at the turtle as well. "April, I was fourteen!"

"Somehow Cassi, I don't think you've changed that much," April said with a grin as she started the bus. Cassi sank back into the couch. Seven sets of eyes were still turned to her.

"It was nearly six years ago now, on a Halloween night. I was technically old enough to drive. Naturally, I asked April along since she was the only licensed adult I knew. Okay, she was also the only adult I knew with a car I could use…"

_Fourteen-year-old Cassiopeia grinned wildly as she waited for her passenger to buckle up. The turtle drummed her fingers on the steering wheel as she tried to be patient. However, April seemed to be moving rather sluggishly._

"_Come on April! How long does it take to put on a seatbelt?" Cassi asked, now very impatient._

"_Huh? Oh, right, sorry Cassi," April apologized as she clipped on her seatbelt. "I was just thinking about the first time we met. I can't believe you're already fourteen."_

"_You better believe it!" Cassi said, starting the car. She shifted gears and skilfully pulled out of the parking space. Once on the main road, near the city limits, she floored it._

"_CASSI!" April screamed in terror. Cassi slammed on the brakes. _

"_Right, what was I thinking? There are little kids out tonight!" The turtle looked up at a street sign. "Hmm, I think we should turn back. I need to pull a U-turn."_

"_What? No, Cas…" April was cut off by the car swerving around. After that, the ride was a little better._

Everyone laughed as Cassi finished. No one but April could believe that she had that_. I can't either. Of course, I did have a friend with me who was cheering me on._

_---_

"I can't sleep," Mike announced around 2:00am. The bus was parked off to the side of the road while everyone tried to get some sleep. Cassi had installed a cloaking device that made it invisible. This way, no one could try to break in.

"Me either," Raph said back.

"Neither can I," Don joined in.

"Same," Leo said, but in more of a hushed voice. Soon after, the four could hear movements on the floor of the bus. (The bunks were just above the windows, but below the roof) It was too dark to see who it was moving around.

"Cassi? Is that you?" Don asked.

"Of course it is," Cassi said quietly back. They could hear her moving about the bus. There were two clicking noises, like a case being opened, then the sound of Cassi hopping back onto her bunk. A melody began to play softly.

"Cassi, is that my guitar?" Raph asked, knowing Cassi didn't bring hers along. She had gotten them their own personalized instruments for Christmas. Raph and Leo had both received acoustic guitars.

"No, it's Leo's," She answered, then she began to sing softly and gently,

"_Life is short,_

_There's only one go 'round._

_There's gonna be ups_

_And there's gonna be downs._

_Just remember this,_

_I'll be with you til the end._

_I'll always be with you_

_Because you're my friend."_

Leo smiled. He already knew all the words to this. It was the first song he could play. Cassi continued the song.

"_If one day_

_We're torn apart_

_This is what I say._

_You'll be in my heart._

_Til next we meet._

_It won't be long._

_I'll always be with you._

_I'm not really gone." _

Cassi stopped singing, but continued playing the melody. Mike, Raph and Don had all fallen fast asleep. Leo didn't want to fall asleep; he loved the song that Cassi was playing. It had almost become apart of both of them over the past two years. _I don't know if I'll ever see you as just a friend, Cassi._ As Cassi played the chords, Leo fell asleep as well.

_I don't know either, Leo, _Cassi thought as she finally put the guitar away. _I don't know if I even want you to start seeing me as only a friend. I love Mikey, true, but I'm not sure how I love him. I may love him how I used to love you, or I may love him as family. Why does life have to be so confusing? _Cassi laughed to herself as she got back into bed. _I'd never really tell Leo any of what I just thought, even though I thought it as if I were saying it to him. _


	19. Rock On, Rock Hard, Keep Rocking!

_A/N: Sorry this is so late ; I'm trying to get caught up on school. I'm getting there, so hopefully I'll be able to update more!_

Leo had never been so nervous before. The tech staff clipped on part of his microphone to his belt and made sure his headset was on right. It was then that Leo noticed how bad his hands were shaking. His hands, which had held katana blades steady and trained for years, were shaking. _Just calm down_ He told himself in his mind. However, the thousands of voices coming from behind, or rather, in front of the stage weren't helping him any. It didn't matter that they had done this before, it still was hard to get over stage fright.

He glanced over at Cassi, who was adjusting her headset as the men left her. She looked at him and smiled. Cassi looked calm, but Leo could tell that she was just as nervous as he was, if not more. Somehow, she was always able to mask her fear. Actually, the more he thought about it, she was able to mask many things. She gave him a thumbs up.

April, Shadow and Master Splinter came over to them. The one year old squealed when she saw the five. The red head started talking to them the moment she could. All five turtles could tell that she was just as excited as they were, and she wasn't even performing! Cassi sighed. April had done this nearly every show so far.

"Okay guys, this is it! There's a crowd out there of about ten thousand or so, but don't worry."

"April…" Cassi cut in, trying to get her to stop. It didn't work.

"Remember to be energetic! You're using some footage from here for your next video, don't forget."

"April…" The five said together.

"Just go out there and have fun! You guys love doing this, so act like it!" Outside, the audience had quieted down some. Cassi guessed the lights had dimmed.

"Miss O'Neil," Master Splinter said, putting his hand on April's arm, "I believe they need to perform now."

"Yes, we do," Cassi agreed quickly. She hugged April, then Master Splinter, then turned on her microphone. "Are you ready, Mike?" She asked, starting just as they had planned. The crowd cheered at the sound of her voice.

"Oh yeah Cassi! I am so hyped about this!" He exclaimed, beaming at her.

"Not my choice of words, but I agree," Leo grinned

"So do I," Don agreed.

"Let's get out there!" Raph said.

"Wait! We forgot to see if they're ready! How 'bout it, Miami?" Cassi asked while running up on stage. The others followed her.

She ran onstage and the audience screamed louder. After doing a few simple flips to impress them and give Leo and Raph a few moments to get their instruments on, Cassi stopped in the middle of the stage.

"Show off," Raph teased as he started to play the opening to one of their songs. Cassi grinned and started to sing.

---

Things continued on this way. It seemed like every night they were in a different city. For months, they toured across the United States and Canada. All five had fun, but found themselves exhausted near the end. Home sounded better than it ever had.

Soon, and quite quickly too, their popularity spread. Everywhere you looked, there was something with 'Shell Shock' written on it. They had merchandise in stores everywhere. On their twentieth birthday, headlines screamed, "America's Favourite Teenagers Teens No More."

After the tour was finished, they headed home, but there wasn't time to slow down. They had about two weeks to relax, but then they had to get started on their next album. From there, it would mean promoting it and probably another tour, with different awards shows in between.

The boys thought it was great, and Cassi did too, for a while. She thought everything was moving too fast, and that wasn't necessarily a good thing. One thing was certain; she hated never having time to herself, or time for her relationship with Mike. Before, she loved her time, just being by herself and doing small projects. Cassi had no idea how crazy things were going to get.

---

Nearly two years passed. Cassi and the boys were coming up to their twenty-second birthday. They were currently headlining their own tour. The five had gone from one tour bus to four to carry all their equipment and staff. April still insisted on driving the group, and Casey and Shadow still came along.

Cassi had her bunk pulled down and was sitting on it. She was leafing through the scrapbook Chris had given her for Christmas a couple years ago. Cassi hated being away for so long. Her excuse to Chris was that she was staying with family in Canada for a while. At the moment, they were indeed in Canada, and she was with family. Thankfully, they were headed back home to New York.

The turtle sighed and lay back on her bed. Below, she could hear Mikey and Don trying to figure out lyrics to a new song. Raph was playing the tune. Leo added a thing now and then, but he was mostly occupied playing with Shadow. _I can't wait to get home. We play one more show closer to New York, and then we get a short vacation. One month of doing nothing is sounding great. _

It was sounding great to everyone. April was looking forward to catching up on sleep, like the rest. They had had tons of late nights. As hard as it could be, they enjoyed every moment.


	20. Speak Out

_A/N: Again, I'm super sorry this is so late! Oh, and by the way, this isn't the big secret about Sugar ;) No, it's something a LOT different!_

"Cassi, why aren't you asleep?" April whispered to her friend who had come to the front and was sitting by her. Cassi just shrugged.

"I'm not tired," She replied honestly.

"After that show you just put on? You've got to be kidding." Cassi grinned.

"I'm seriously not tired. What about you?" She asked April, who was driving.

"A little, but I can sleep soon."

"I could take over for a while," Cassi suggested.

"When I said I wasn't going to let you drive me again, I meant it."

"April, that was almost eight years ago. I have grown up a little," Cassi reminded her. April smiled, but it was soon replaced by a strange look.

"Cassi, when's your birthday?"

"Next week, why?" She answered and asked.

"We've known each other for ten years," April said softly.

Cassi whistled lowly. "Has it really been a decade?" The redhead nodded as the city lights came into view. They were back in New York City. "I've got to tell you April, home never looked so good."

"I know what you mean."

---

Cassi quietly crept off of the cloaked tour bus. They were parked outside the turtle's home. April, Casey and Shadow had gone home, and Cassi drove the bus back. She still couldn't sleep. There was too much on her mind. Only one thing was important to her now; she needed to talk to Splinter.

She left her necklace on the bus and inconspicuously made her way into the home. Master Splinter would be awake sooner than the boys would. She planned to just wait for him. As usual for her, nothing ever goes according to plan.

Cassi had thought that she was silent when she entered. She was right, but someone had heard her. Cassi felt a blow to her back that caught her off guard and sent her to the ground. Her attacker pinned her down.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" A familiar voice asked.

"It's okay, Master Splinter. It's just me, Cassiopeia," She said while snapping to activate the lights. "You always were the only one I could never surprise."

"I apologize, Cassiopeia, I did not expect you back yet," He said, helping her to her feet. "It is good to see you. Where are the four boys?"

"It's good to see you too, Master Splinter. The boys are still on the bus. They don't know we're back yet. April decided to drive nearly all night so we could get back sooner," Cassi explained. "I should be asleep too, but I had to talk to you."

"It is important." Splinter said, listening to the tone of her voice. Cassi nodded.

"Well, it's important to me. I want to apologize for what happened a few years ago. You told me to stop dating Leo, but I said no. I defied you. I never told you how sorry I was."

"It is alright Cassiopeia. I realized when you first asked to be separated from them that being raised away would change how you felt about them. You knew that too. It was a risk we both took." Cassi nodded as he explained. She understood.

"You should know, Sensei, they all have strong feelings for me, even though Mikey's the only one who acts on it."

"And you do not care for them?"

Cassi didn't answer right away. "I'm not sure," She said finally. "I do have feelings for them, but they're different from the ones I felt towards Leo when we were sixteen. I have feelings for all four. I don't know what to do, Sensei. I don't want to hurt them, but I don't want to make the wrong choice."

"Only you can decide, Cassiopeia."

"I know."

---

"I don't know, Sugar. Something is different with the boys lately. I think it's their egos; they're not inflated, but rather, bruised. You know how boys are. It's my name that gets chanted in the crowds, people cheer loudest when I come onstage and I think that bothers them," Cassi explained to the snake. The turtle was sitting with her shell against the wall and Sugar was in front of her, listening carefully.

"All of them?" Sugar asked.

Cassi nodded, stood up and began to pace back and forth. "Sug, I've been offered a few solo deals. You know I'd never accept them, but the boys are worried I will."

"I know you wouldn't. You care about the four dorks more than any break you could ever get," The snake agreed.

Cassi stopped pacing. "They are not dorks, Sug, and you'd think they'd know me better than that by now!" She shook her head and stared into Sugar's eyes. "They'll never admit it, but deep down, they're a little jealous of the attention I get when we go to things like meet the fans. I don't ask for it, but… I just hope they don't do something stupid."

"They are dorks because they haven't figured out I can talk. I mean, come on! You're a genius, of course you figured out a way to let me speak."

"You haven't exactly told them either."

"Silly as this will sound, I think your problem about them being jealous and not knowing you would make a good song." Sugar said with a grin.

Cassi pondered a moment.

"_I am very sorry_

_If I've hurt you in any way_

_It seems I'm always in the spotlight_

_Just give me the chance to say_

_Don't you know me by now?_

_We've been together for years_

_We've shared many moments_

_Our happiness, our sadness, our fears_

_Don't you know me by now_?" Cassi sang softly. "You're right Sug, that would make a good song," She agreed. Turning her blue eyes back to the pure white serpent, she decided to ask something else. "Sugar, can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"Why don't you just tell them you can talk?" Cassi asked. Sugar couldn't answer that. Instead, she just grinned, then slithered off down one of her tunnels.


	21. Scars

**A/N: Yes, the secret about Sugar is revealed! And another secret from Cassi's past too. Sorry if this chapter isn't the best; I did a rush job on editing. Bad me! I'm sorry!**

Their month off flew by for them. Before the famous five knew it, they had to get back into routine. Only Cassi and Sugar knew about the song. Cassi had given the boys a copy of the music so they could learn it, but not the lyrics. She was planning to sing it for the first time at a concert they were playing in Central park.

---

"None of you guys know this yet, But Cassiopeia was recently offered a few solo offers," Raph said to the crowd, and Cassi nodded. "She hasn't made a choice, but I think we all know what she'll choose." Turning her eyes to the crowd, she waited for them to start playing, but Raph continued. "She doesn't need us anymore." She looked back at Raph. He wasn't supposed to say that!

"Yeah," Leo agreed. "Honestly, I don't think she ever did need us."

"She's always been very independent," Don added.

"Cassi, we wish you the best with your new career," Mike said. Cassi stared in bewilderment at them.

"You know, it sounds like you're the ones who don't need me. That's fine," Cassi said angrily. "I'll go, but I'm not accepting any contracts. I was never going to." With that, she took off her microphone, placed it on the stage and ran off, not looking back.

---

Cassi got home to her apartment as fast as she could. It had been hard to slip into the crowd unnoticed and without giving herself away, but she did it. Her necklace was backstage in the dressing room, hung on the corner of the mirror so the four would know she was serious about leaving. Cassi couldn't believe what she had just done. She had left Shell Shock, the boys, everything she had worked for.

Panting from shock, Cassi leaned up against her door. She was still furious with all of them. Did they think she was clueless? Before the show began, Cassi had heard the four yelling at each other. At the time, she had thought it had nothing to do with her, but now she realized they were fighting about her. Cassi was proud of herself for not yelling at them in front of the audience. At the same time, she felt free. She didn't have to worry about a lot of things anymore.

The brunette sank down into a chair in her small living room and began to cry.

---

"So how was your show last night?" April asked, sitting down in Cassi's living room.

"It was okay, I guess," Cassi mumbled while getting April and herself a cup of tea.

"Just okay?" She asked, only to get a shrug in response. "Have you checked where your latest video is in the countdown?" Cassi shook her head. April turned on the television to the right channel.

"No, April, wait..." Cassi started, but it was too late. Footage of her walking away from the group was airing. She sighed and closed her eyes while her friend watched the tape in horror.

"You left the group?" April exclaimed. "Was this a publicity stunt?"

"No," Cassi whispered.

"That would explain why you're so upset. I'm sorry Cassi, I thought you were just tired," April apologized.

"It's okay, I am tired as well. I couldn't sleep very well last night." Cassi said while handing April cup of tea. The young woman sat down and the whole story spilled out. April listened patiently as Cassi explained.

"It seems silly to leave for that reason, don't you think?" April asked when she had finished.

"There's more to it. They're turning against each other because of me. They fight over and about me when I'm not around and I can feel the affects of it afterwards, even though they act like nothing happened. This just finally pushed me over the edge. I couldn't take it anymore."

"They're going to try to get you back." April warned.

"I know."

"You have to go back in a week or so, just let everyone cool off…"

"April, I'm not going back, ever." And she meant it.

---

April was right. Over the next few weeks, Leo, Raph. Mike and Don did everything they could to reach out to Cassi. They tried calling her, going to see her emailing her and sending her letters. After that, they would talk about it when they were interviewed. They even tried to get April to talk to her.

Cassi remained true to her word and nothing worked. She ignored their every attempt. She refused to talk to them or even listen to them. It really looked like she wasn't coming back.

All of New York (and the rest of the world) were devastated by Shell Shock's split up. They were one of the most popular and friendly bands, no one could believe that they had had a fight. On newspapers, magazines, radio stations and TV stations everywhere that seemed like it was all you'd hear about.

They may have lost their lead singer, but Shell Shock was still going. Leo took over as lead singer after the others heard him singing to himself one day. He was good. Everyone agreed that he wasn't as good as Cassi, no one was, but until they could get her to come back (if they could) Leo was their only option.

Before they knew it, the four were back on the road. They weren't doing an official tour, but they were playing a few cities here and there. None of them wanted to go without Cassi, but they had no choice.

---

"Cassi, we're leaving tomorrow morning," April told her.

"That's nice." Cassi replied, obviously uninterested.

"They are sorry Cassi. They need you back."

"They're doing just fine without me," Cassi replied with a cold tone.

"You're miserable without them, anyone can see that. They made a mistake and they want to make it right. Give them a chance. All four want you to come with us," April pleaded. It was no use. Cassi's mind was made up. "I do too."

"No April, I'm not giving them a chance, I'm not coming with you."

"Cassiopeia, listen to yourself! You're running away again!"

"What do you mean, 'again'?"

"Remember when you were pregnant with Sugar? You went to…"

"All right! Yes! I run! That's what I do when I'm scared, okay? I run, April." She sighed. "You can tell them the answer is no. I'm not coming back," Cassi said firmly. Although she wanted to, April knew it was useless to argue with her.

"Alright Cassi, if that's what you want. Just don't go as far as you did before Sugar was born. And by that I don't mean leaving Earth," April said, turning to go. She left Cassi's apartment, shutting the door behind her. A tear rolled down Cassi's face. She wiped it away with her hand, and as she did, she caught sight of the scars on her wrist. They were faint, but they were there, reminding the girl of another time.

_April is right, I am miserable without them, but I'm not going back. I can't. I just cause them to fight with each other. They've been a team for years, and I'm splitting it up. They're better off without me. Maybe the whole world is._


	22. Let Me Die

_Shell Shocked is finally coming somewhat to a close, just a couple more chapters! I'm kind of sad about it...but oh well, I've still got three sequels yet xD Sorry if the characters seem a little...out of character. I've been writing Simple Plan fanfiction a lot more lately, so I'm a little more in tune with different characters at the moment. If you're interested in reading my SP stuff (I warn you; some of it is dark) check out SALIP, link is my homepage on my profile. I'm JB on there, although my display name is currently 'davat'._

"Mike, can't you do something?" Leo asked, staring blankly out the window of the tour bus.

"What do you want me to do? I've tried calling, emailing, going to see her. Nothing's worked," he pointed out miserably as he read some of his fanmail, not taking his eyes off the computer screen. "At least we're finally back in the city."

"We need Cassi; you'd think that she would listen to you, Mikey. After all, you are her boyfriend."

"I'm not anymore, Donny," Mike whispered numbly. "I just got an email from her." He took a deep breath, then read it out loud. "Mike, I'm sorry for everything I've put you and the others through. If I could do everything over, I'd never even reveal myself to you four. Unfortunately, I can't redo everything, and you're the ones who have to pay for it. Mikey, this isn't your fault, nor is it anyone else's but my own. You'll be better off without me there to mess up your life. Cassi." He closed the window on the computer and shut it down. "She finished the email with lyrics from that song she liked, 'It Ends Tonight.'"

"When darkness turns to…" Leo muttered to himself, turning away from the window.

"Guys, we're back!" April's cheery voice called from the front of the bus, unaware of what had happened.

"Good," the blue masked turtle replied, running from the bus.

---

The wind whipped at her hair, trying to discourage her from what she was about to do. Still, she stood, looking at the almost inviting water below her. No, she wasn't going to back out this time.

"Cassi," a voice said from behind her, "don't do this."

"You figured out my email. I thought you might, Leo," Cassi replied, not looking back at him.

"You've got so much to live for Cassi…"

"Do I?" She snapped, turning around, revealing her tear streaked face. "I've made a mess of everything! I've ruined your life, and the others'."

"No, you haven't," Leo replied cautiously, walking slowly towards her.

"Dammit Leo, yes I have!" He stopped, unsure of whether it was her language or the fierceness in her eyes. Both were unfamiliar to him. "Yeah, little Miss Cassiopeia has a bad mouth at times."

"Cassi, please…"

"Please what? There's nothing to talk about!" She turned back to the ledge, and prepared to jump. The turtle grabbed her wrist before she could.

"I'm not going to let you throw away your life!" Although she was twisting her arm, trying to pull away, Leo caught sight of something he had never seen before. Scars, dozens of them ran along her arm.

"Why do you think I started wearing gloves when we were sixteen?" She may not have been yelling anymore, but the anger in her voice was just as strong. As fresh tears rolled down her face, Cassi's desperation showed through. "Just let me die."

Leo's voice was soft, but firm. "If you jump, I'm going with you."

Shocked blue eyes now stared back at him. "No."

"Yes. If you die, I'll die with you."

"Why are you doing this?" Cassi asked through her tears, yanking her wrist out of Leo's grasp. "I'm not worth it, Leo."

"Yes, you are! You know it too. Why is it you value all life but your own? The reason you haven't already jumped is because you know I'll jump with you, and you don't want me to die."

"Why Leo?" She moaned.

"Because I love you!" He replied, grabbing her wrist once more. "I'm not going to let you destroy yourself."

Unable to do much else, Cassi fell to her knees and just let her tears flow. Putting his arm around her, Leo knelt down beside the young woman and sighed. The worst was over, for now.

---

"Why do you keep giving everything up for me?" Cassi asked quietly. Once Leo had been able to coax her off the bridge, the two had gone back to her apartment. "Your life as a ninja, especially. Why did you do it?"

"Why did you push me out of the way when the flowerbox fell?" He replied and Cassi laughed softly to herself.

"We've both been willing to give up our lives for one another, literally."

"I meant what I said on the bridge," Leo said as he sat down beside Cassi, who was curled up on the couch, "but if you still have feelings for Mike…"

"I don't," Cassi said quickly. "I think that's part of the reason I…" She sighed. "I didn't want to hurt him. I love you, and I always have."

Taking her hand, Leo pressed the golden chain to her palm. "This is yours."

A grin spread over her face and she hooked it around her neck, once again becoming a turtle. "Should we start over and have a clean slate between us?"

"I…"

"Hey Cassi, your door was unlocked and…" Chris stared at the two turtles, turning whiter by the moment. The blonde started to fall backwards, and Cassi reacted without thinking; she used her power to catch her.

"Don't faint too," she warned Leo. "I know I've got some explaining to do. To both of you apparently."


	23. Losing

_Okay, so short update unfortunatly. However, I hope it's not disapointing!_

"Cassi…"

"I told you Mike, it's over."

"But you haven't told me why." That was something Cassi had been avoiding. "What happened? What went on that day Leo ran out of the bus? Enough secrets, Cassi!"

The brunette sat unresponsive at her desk as she tried to finish applying her makeup. Although she had returned to see the boys, she had yet to rejoin them as a band. Neither she nor Leo said a word about what had happened on the bridge. Claiming that she was ashamed of what she had almost done, Cassi had begged Leo not to say anything to anyone.

"Mike, we're through as a couple. That's all there is to say, isn't it?" Her blue eyes watched him from the mirror as she sat with her back to him.

"No! That's not all there is!" He took the back of her chair and turned it so that she was facing him. An unimpressed Cassi looked back at him, a black line of eyeliner trailing across her face.

"I tried to kill myself. There. Now you know," her voice was little more then a whisper, but it was dark and angry. "Now leave, please."

"What?" Mikey's tone wasn't anger filled, but now shock. "Why…are you….Cassi?" He stammered.

"No, I'm not going to try to kill myself again, Mike," she said with a frustrated sigh.

"Just tell me why, Cassi. Why did you?"

"I don't think that's any of your business!" She snapped back.

"Oh, but it's Leo's? He's the reason we're splitting up?"

"It was my choice to break up, Mike," Cassi replied venomously. "Leave Leo out of this, and leave my apartment."

---

"Sparring match, Leo?" Cassi asked brightly, wearing her normal skin of green and usual magenta gloves and boots. However this time, her attire was somewhat darker.

"Did you dye your things?" Leo asked, trying to decide if it was the lighting or if she had indeed.

"Yeah," Cassi grinned, half sitting on the top of the couch Leo was reading on. "It was too childish. It's a bit more of a grown up colour now. After all, I'm twenty two, not sixteen anymore," she explained with a laugh, but there was a strange falseness in the way she laughed. "Now, you up for a match or not?"

"Alright," he agreed, putting down the book and feeling relieved to see her smiling. For the past few days she had been brooding over something, but when asked she wouldn't say about what, or why.

"With weapons?" Cassi asked hopefully, and grinned when Leo unsheathed his katanas.

Throughout the match, Leo kept a careful eye on Cassi. Her movements weren't what they usually were. She wasn't as fast with her blocks, nor did she move out of the way of his katanas when they came for her as fast as she usually was. No one, including Cassi, knew why, but she was naturally faster then the four. Was she just trying to slow herself down and overdoing it?

The blue bearing turtle noticed something else. Cassi's heart wasn't in the match and she seemed unmotivated to win. She was trying to lose. Then, as he brought his katana around, Leo figured out what was going on. He brought both katanas back quickly and sheathed them.

"Why'd you…"

"You lunged at the blade Cassi! Why?" Leo snapped angrily. Almost shocked, Cassi took a step backwards, but didn't say a word. "You were hoping I'd kill you by 'accident', weren't you?" Again, she remained silent, neither confirming nor denying his accusations.

"I told you. I want to die," she replied at last. "Why can't you just accept that?"

"Fine Cassi, I'm through with this. If you want to die that badly, do it by your own hand and don't make me feel guilty for killing the girl I love. But if you go through with it, you'll not only lose your own honour, but you'll lose all the respect I ever had for you."

With that he walked from the room, and Cassi held her sword in her hands, finally raising the blade to her neck.


	24. Something Always Goes Wrong

_I don't know how many more chapter's there'll be since I'm kind of changing the original story XD_

"GUYS!" Raph's panic filled yell filled both parts of the underground home. Immediately, the other three turtles raced to where they had heard his voice coming from to see what was wrong.

"Raph, what's…CASSI!" Mike yelled in horror when he saw her.

Blood pooled onto the floor from the slash across Cassi's throat. Her eyes stared upwards, not focusing on anything. As her body tried to breathe, convulsions tore through her limbs and her fingers clawed at the floor, trying to grab on to it. The gargling noise coming from her slit throat was enough to make all of them want to run. Instead, Don took a deep breath and grabbed the nearest thing he find.

"Mike, go get a first aid kit!" The purple one instructed while holding part of a blanket down on her throat to apply pressure and stop the bleeding. "NOW!" Mike looked sick, and didn't comply. His knees buckled and he quickly passed out. "Raph, go get the kit!" This time, Don's orders were carried out and Raph ran out of the room.

"I didn't think she'd do it," Leo muttered in shock, frozen by the sight before him.

"She did this to herself?" Don asked in reply, holding the blanket steady. All Leo could do was nod in reply. Looking around, Don noticed her katana nearby, and saw the blade was indeed bloody. "Why?"

"I don't know, Donny," he lied, "but she wanted me to kill her. I wouldn't…but I didn't…" Leo trailed off, unable to find any words.

Don didn't say anything in reply, but he looked down at Cassi again. Her movements were growing slower.

"Hang on, Cassi, just hang on!" Don told her, but it appeared his orders were once again ignored. Her movements stopped completely as did her breathing. A muffled sigh escaped her as her eyelids fluttered shut.

"No!" Leo cried, rushing to her side, finally free from the paralysis that had captured him moments before. "Cassi! Cassi!" He fumbled for her hand, and looked at her still form, then up at Don. His brother shook his head sadly, and let go of the blanket.

"She's gone," his voice was barely audible.

"No, no, no…" Leo repeated to himself, each 'no' becoming more grief filled.

"I got it, I got…" Raph stopped as he came back to the others. "Is…she…?"

"Yeah," Don replied, standing up, accidentally hitting the blanket covering her throat. Looking down at Cassi, Leo gasped.

"Guys, look at this!" He exclaimed, moving the blanket off of her throat. Where only moments before there had been a bloody cut was now green skin, no wounds to be seen. By this time, Mikey was coming around.

"What happened?" He moaned, sitting up. "Cassi!" He yelped as he remembered. Getting to his feet, he ran to her other side, opposite of Leo. "No way…" Mike said softly, looking at her neck in fascination.

"I wonder if…" Leo stopped himself, but could tear his eyes away either.

"A regeneration power?" Mike guessed, and he nodded.

"A what?" Both Raph and Don asked, but they received no answer. Leo ran his hand softly across where the wound would have been. Cassi's eyes snapped open, startling the two who were sitting at her side. All four felt relief as her chest rose and sank, indicating that she was breathing once more.

"I…" She started to say something but looked at the four faces around her, as well as the sword that lay not too far away. Reaching to her neck, she felt the solid skin, once more unbroken. "I'm alive?"

"Yeah, and it's a miracle too!" Don told her.

"What were you thinking?" Raph snapped, and she just looked away.

"You four don't need me around. All I've done is cause you to fight with each other and hold grudges against one another. I've lied to you, and I nearly killed you all once. Believe me, you four don't need me. I broke up the team you once were," she whispered.

"No, you joined the team, Cassi," Leo whispered back, tears rolling down his face.

"We want you here with us," Mike added, then shot a look at Don and Raph.

"Right," They spoke together again.

"I guess I'm stuck here anyways," Cassi muttered as she sat up, a look of anger on her face. "I can't even die without something going wrong for me!"

"We don't want you to die," Leo told her, grabbing both of her shoulders. "None of us do!"

Tears formed in Cassi's eyes once more, and she let Leo hold her while she cried. The others, once they had cleaned up the blood, let the two be. Eventually, worn out physically and emotionally, Cassi drifted off to sleep, still in Leo's arms.


	25. Projected Truth

Yay, I finally finished another chapter! Sorry about it being so late. I PHAIL D:

* * *

"Leo?" Cassi's voice was soft as she spoke to the turtle. He stood with his shell to her, staring blankly into space but obviously ignoring her. "Leo, it's been four days. Talk to me? Please?"

"What is there to say?" He replied, still turned away from her. "I told you that if you went through with it you'd lose all respect I had for you."

"I know, but I'm alive aren't I?"

"Only thanks to a power you didn't even know you had!" Leo snapped, turning around suddenly and making her jump.

"I get it; you're mad," she sighed, "and you have right to be. I messed up, okay?"

"Cassiopeia, that is an understatement." Hearing her whole name made Cassi wince.

"I'm sorry, all right Leonardo?"

"No, it's not all right!" The anger in Leo's voice was still present, but now there was also sadness mingled in. "If it hadn't been for a mistake, you'd be dead. Dead!" As she looked at the ground, Leo sighed. "How did you not know about the regeneration power anyways? Didn't you ever notice that things healed faster for you?"

She shrugged and sat down on the arm of the couch. "I grew up alone, Leo. I thought it was normal. I don't think I was ever with you guys when you were hurt. Or if I was, I just assumed you healed a little slower."

"We do, not only physically though."

"In other words, you're not ready to forgive me?" Her eyes met his, and he looked away. "I think you should know something, Leo. I did die when we were seventeen. At the time, I had planned how I was going to leave if I didn't die for real, but…I did. I guess the whole regeneration thing brought me back. All I knew is that I woke up inside the coffin."

"Why didn't you tell us this?" His brown eyes were once again fixed upon her, making Cassi uncomfortable. She shifted her position somewhat and looked back down at the ground.

"Would you have believed me? And I didn't know, not until I died the other day. Before, I assumed I had just passed out."

"And the man waiting for you?"

"It looked like one of Chris's brothers to you, but he wasn't really there. A friend of mine 'sensed' what was going on and she made a projection with her mind, to fool you. Yes, she's not human." Cassi gave her head a shake. "I know I've lied so much, but I couldn't tell you the truth. None of you would have believed me."

"You don't know that. You could've tried to tell us, but you didn't."

"Yeah, and have Don pronounce me insane? You know he would've if I came up and said something like, 'hey guys! Guess what? I died, then came back to life to become a pop star with you guys!' That would've gone over well," she couldn't help the sarcasm that slipped naturally into her words.

"In case you haven't noticed Cassi, our lives have been anything but normal," Leo pointed out turning back away from her.

"Believe me, I noticed," She mumbled back, rubbing the back of her head subconsciously. "Think you could forgive me one last time? And we don't have to go back to being a couple, even though I still love you and you love me."

"What?" He looked back at her. "Are you…"

"I'm not in your head, Leo. I can read you like a book without having to read your thoughts," Cassi stated, then looked down at the ground. "That, and I found the ring," she added softly. Leo turned to face her once more, but before Cassi could read his expression, he faded away. "Aw, Kelly!"

A voice laughed from beside her. "I think that is enough, Cassiopeia. You must go and talk to him." Cassi turned her head to the side to see her friend sitting on the couch as well. Makeup lined eyes sparkled back at her.

"I don't know, Kelly, I'm scared."

"Cassiopeia, have my projections ever failed to be correct? Aside from your Sensei. He is impossible to predict."

"Don't be so cocky, Kelly. They may have been right, but Leo's a lot like Sensei. He's hard to predict at times too!"

Underneath her long magenta gown, the girl crossed her legs then gave Cassi an unamused look. "You are stalling now."

"Alright…I'm going…" Cassi replied, taking a shaky breath then walking to the other room where Leo really was.


	26. The Fire Inside Burns On

Yes, the end is near! This is one of the final chapters. I can honestly say that now. Wow O.O; It's so shocking. Well, for me anyways.

Oh, and a lot of Celebrity camos in this one! You can tell which are my favourite bands at the moment XD Anyone else know the names that appear? ;D well...the two teenagers you might not have heard of. If you have...o.O I will be surprised. Yes, they are all real people. Even the redhead and purple haired girl. And yes, she does have a camera named Ananaltra. Search 'dFekTv' on youtube and you'll see the redhead :D As for the purple haired girl...I think you can hear her laugh in one of their live vids. She doesn't like that D: She remembered to shut up the next time she was filming them however. She'll stop talking in third person soon.

* * *

"You sure you want to end this?" Cassi looked at the black haired, brown-eyed man sitting on her couch. The light caught the metal of his lip ring as he spoke.

"Yeah, Davey, I'm sure," she nodded as she pushed her own dark hair from her eyes. Gathered around her were some of her closest friends she had met throughout Shell Shock's tours.

"You had such a short career," another man pointed out as he adjusted his blond bangs. A smile twitched on Cassi's lips; he often played with his bangs, and she found it amusing, maybe because it was only the blond part he played with. The rest of his hair was naturally brown.

"It is her choice, Jade," Davey pointed out.

"I know, but they showed such promise!" Jade replied, still seeming somewhat shocked by her decision.

"You'll always be on my mp3 player," yet another man with brown hair, his lighter then the rest, told her.

"Thanks Ryan," she grinned. "And I'm not saying Shell Shock is gone for good, but we'll be gone for a while anyways."

One of the men, medium length black hair and brown eyed, scratched lightly at his nose ring before speaking. "You did ask the guys first, right?" To this, one of his band mates groaned.

"Of course she did, David. You did convulse with them, right Cassi?" This made her grin even more. The light haired, blue-eyed man clearly didn't speak English as a first language.

"Consult, Seb. Yes, I did," Cassi informed them.

The only girls in the room besides Cassi were teenagers, and their appearances showed it. One had natural red hair with part of it dyed black; the other proudly sported a nose ring and purple hair.

"Do you think Shell Shock will ever come back?" The redhead asked Cassi, her green eyes reflecting how she felt about one of her favourite bands calling it the end.

Unsure of how to answer Cassi turned her own blue eyes to the ground. "I don't know, Aline. I hope so, but I can't promise that."

"So why are you quitting?" The purple haired girl asked, holding her video camera 'Ananaltra' in her hands.

"Bev, is that on?" Cassi asked, noticing the camera for the first time. When the girl shook her head, she answered the question by raising her left hand.

"Let's just say it's time for a new adventure," Cassi said softly, drinking in their reactions before gazing at the ring on her finger.

---

"So Shell Shock is really over?" Leo asked, sounding somewhat far away. Cassi, who was a turtle again and lying on his lap, nodded.

"Yeah. Are you upset?" She asked.

"Not particularly. I can't say I enjoyed having my life being an open book for the public, but I'll miss parts of it," he admitted.

"Like?" Cassi inquired, looking up at him.

"The quiet nights on the bus," Leo answered honestly. "I think Mike's already missing the after show parties." This made the magenta clad turtle laugh.

"I certainly won't miss some of those."

"Neither will I."

"Why do you want to marry me, Leo?" Cassi decided to ask, changing the tone of their conversation. "You know I'm not well, mentally at least. I've tried to kill myself how many times? And how many times have I hurt you?"

"I've asked myself that as well, Cassi. Yet for some reason I can't explain, and one I bet you won't be able to either, I still love you. Part of me wants to help you, another is just determined to keep an eye on you."

Her eyes darted to her hands, which she was currently fiddling with. "So…you're marrying me because you feel sorry for me?"

"I'm not even going to answer that." This made her smile return.

"Fair enough. Leo, I hope that if we have kids, they all turn out like you."

"Why?"

"Because if I were you, I would've given up on me a long time ago."


End file.
